Eerily predictive of the current Zeitgeist (2018

Rating: 10/10 (9 August 2019)

Back in 2008 this film was really a fun engaging thriller/black comedy. Brad Pitt and JK Simmons especially were hysterical and fun. The labyrinth of a plot was a great send-up of thrillers and kept you guessing how it would end. Add in the Coen Brother's attention to detail and the rest of the performances this was a comedic thrill ride. But time has been extremely kind to the film.
Osbourne Cox, played with the right tone of condescending hubris by Malkovich, is the sort of petty incompetent jerk that unfortunately has worked his way into the public consciousness. Indeed, the general idiocy of the characters capture the beguiling mixture of malice and stupidity that is the hallmark of this era. These characters are easy to understand in their psychological drives and if they weren't so damaged, short sighted, and small they would not put into these traps of their own making. The film's commitment to giving characters what they *don't* deserve-the worst character gets what they want, the best character absolutely doesn't-ring extremely true of the current situation.
This film is so funny at pointing out how stupid we are it hurts.