With the recent success of their multi-Oscar winning movie No Country for Old Men the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, have been somewhat removed from their usual cult status. Some may fear that the duo would now fall suspect to Hollywood pressure to make a bloated, soulless, big-budget film in order to reap the rewards of their greatest success. Well have no fear; the Coen brothers are not selling out anytime soon.
Burn After Reading is the latest creation from the writing/directing brothers who will forever be George Lucas type heroes to anyone that holds The Big Lebowski in high regard. Trying to figure out how to write a synopsis of this film is about as absurd as the actual story. This is one of those films you just have to go out and see for yourself. No amount of explaining will really do this film any justice.
Burn After Reading is gourmet pointlessness. The uncomfortably realistic writing and beyond ridiculous scenarios go so far off course that they actually come around full circle to seem at times plausible.
Performances are excellent all the way around, from the first scene with John Malkovich all the way to the last scene with J.K. Simmons. No character gets lost in this film although it would be very easy to do so with such a great cast.
This film will most likely split audiences in half. Most will either hate it to no end or think it’s the Coen brother’s best work since The Big Lebowski. Burn After Reading has that same “could this really happen” type of feel to it. The absurdities in the film do not overwhelm reality; instead they kind of amplify it. Taking that into consideration, the Coen brothers may have actually created characters that make their Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men) seem like a logical fellow.
Story: 9.0
Acting: 10
Writing: 9.5
Captivation: 9.0
Replay Value: 8.5
Total Score: 9.2
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