Dismissed CIA veteran Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) plans a scathing ‘memoir’ in light of his forced retirement, as his cold-hearted wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) secretly begins divorce proceedings. She has taken up with sex-starved federal marshal Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), whose own wife is crossing the country on a book tour. Meanwhile, a disc belonging to Cox is found in the ‘Hardbodies’ gym locker, and two trainers seize the opportunity to blackmail him. Energetic nitwit Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) jumps at the chance to play cloak and dagger, obviously oblivious to how high the stakes may be. His middle-aged partner in crime Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) wants only to take the possible pay-off to fund a series of unnecessary plastic surgeries. Their incompetent scheming whips the dreary lives of all involved into a building frenzy, and stump the clueless CIA directors that would rather let the mess sort itself out than get their hands dirty!
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| Served and Witnessed: Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) is having one of those liquor hatchet days. |
Malkovich gets a role he can sink his teeth into, making his paranoid portrayal of a drowning man equally hilarious and melancholic. Swinton is perfect as his icy wife, while Clooney earns his share of the screen by layering his sleazy subject with hints of remorse. McDormand has the most face time, but manages only to recreate elements of better performances in pictures such as Fargo and Almost Famous. And Brad Pitt’s idiotic scene stealer threatens to wear out his welcome before his fate is decided in one of the film’s best scenes.
The Coens have created a formidable film library through the years, and Burn After Reading is a worthy addition to the collection. However, when the smoke clears, its strength lies not in the originality of the tale - but the imaginative way in which it’s told.