Burn After Reading [2008]

Rarely, if ever, would you find a volte-face such as this in the world of cinema. Coen brothers’ follow-up to the grim, violent, dark and brooding No Country for Old Men is as different from it as the proverbial chalk is from cheese. An immensely entertaining movie and an exceptional work of farcical comedy, Burn after Reading doesn’t just poke fun at the Intelligence, but on the intelligence of the average Americans as well. The brothers nearly revel at their pointed jabs and devilishly clever observations. Comprising of a motley of some of the most whimsical plot developments and idiosyncratic characters, this movie is a treat to watch, though even the viewers are a butt of their deftly construed situational jokes. And the best part of the movie is that it is never didactic or forced in its satires, cynicism and parodies; it is funny, piercing and delectably nihilistic, though, I’m sure, immensely misleading for those uninitiated to or unprepared for the Coen’s brand of humour. Fabulously enacted by its dream cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand, based on a plot that is oh-so-gloriously labyrinthine (a Coens’ specialty), and magnificently edited to have all the mad-cap twists played out at just over 90 minutes, the movie is a smart, memorable and deliriously funny exposition of its brilliant yet succinct caption, viz. “Intelligence is relative”.






Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen
Genre: Comedy/Social Satire/Political Satire/Farcical Comedy/Black Comedy/Ensemble Film
Language: English
Country: US