Burn After Reading
Starring: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, J.K. Simmons
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887883/
This review has no spoilers.
The Coen Brothers have made a lot of phenomenal films, all amazing for their own reasons and no two are that much alike. Burn After Reading is very much a Coen film, but it is also very different than their other work, and I think it may actually be my favorite of their films. It’s one of those movies where you leave the theater not quite knowing exactly what you saw. The plot is… slippery, in that by the end, you’re not quite sure what the story is actually about. What is obvious is that this film is all about the characters, and the plot is more of just a vehicle to explore the different interactions between them. The characters are amazingly crafted and extremely hilarious throughout the film, which is what makes it such an enjoyable expirience.
The Coen’s are very talented writers, and they have a great directorial style, but their true strength lies in Actor directiom. They have a propensity for drawing out the most amazing performances from their actors. It doesn’t matter if you are the most seasoned and talented actor out there, the Coen’s will still push you to new heights. They crafted very well rounded and diverse characters, and then cast actors in roles that seem, for lack of a better term, out of character for them.
I would never have thought that Brad Pitt could pull off such a hilarious idiot, or George Clooney as an over-the-top, paranoid sex-addict. I didn’t think it could happen, but it did and it was amazing. Pitt and Clooney were by far the most enjoyable of the cast to watch, followed closely by J.K. Simmons who was amazing but his part was too small to really push him to the top.
The cast, the writing, and the direction all work so well together to create this film which is unconventional and somewhat confusing, but completely awesome. I should give a warning though, since there are moments in this film that are surprisingly brutal and violent. It was sort of unexpected since the rest of the film is not very violent at all, but it definetly adds to the whole expirience and the film would have been less awesome without them. I would recommend this movie to any fans of the Coen’s, and Pitt or Clooney fans, or just anyone who is looking for an unconventional and hilarious dark comedy
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