The Cohen Brothers are really churning them out now; sadly 'Burn After Reading' did not strike me as such a good work as their previous film 'No Country for Old Men'.
Set around characters in Washington D.C. the film opens with C.I.A. officer Osbourne Cox (John Malkovitch) being fired from his post. Returning home in a state of irritation he sets about writing his memoirs. Meanwhile on the other side of town gym administrator Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) fantasises about affording plastic surgery and meeting someone decent from an Internet dating web site.
When Linda's co-worker Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) unwittingly come into possession of a CD with Osbourne's memoirs they hatch a plan to extort money and change their lives for the better.
The essence of the plot is complicated still further by other characters who have various relationships with the key players. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, and David Rasche (remember him from gun-toting 'Sledgehammer' in the 80s?) all contribute considerable acting talent and plot twists to boot.
Essentially this is a comedy-thriller of the sort that Cohen Brothers fans will be familiar with. The film was well made and there were some really good scenes in it. However, at only 96 minutes long it felt like something was missing. I suspect that some serious editing had taken place to bring the story to a close in a neater way. Unfortunately despite the comedy, pace, and brilliant cast, when the credits rolled I thought, "Is that it?"
**1/2 (out of 5)
