BURN AFTER READING
US, 2008, 97 minutes, Colour.
George Clooney, Frances Mc Dormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt, David Rasche, J.K. Simmons.
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
After the grim excellence of No Country for Old Men, what would the Coen Brothers do next? They haven't taken very long to show us: a Washington DC drama that moves into comedy that revels in spoof. And most audiences are going to find it very funny indeed. Who would have that (and this does not spoil film viewing) that a final scene between two supporting actors talking in an office would be so hilarious?
George Clooney is back in a daft character, after working with the Coens for O Brother Where Art Thou and Intolerable Cruelty. Frances Mc Dormand is back (she is Mrs Joel Coen) and has worked for them often, most memorably in her Oscar-winning turn in Fargo. There is also a sharp-tongued angry Tilda Swinton, a soul-searching Richard Jenkins and a disillusioned CIA operative played with zest by John Malkovich. The advertising has focused on Brad Pitt but he is in a supporting role - nevertheless he steals the film with his very funny characterisation of a rather limited-witted assistant at a gym, working with McDormand? for Jenkins. His look, his body language, his behaviour contributes to a performance well worth seeing.
In fact, all the cast are worth seeing, Clooney doing some dumb things, Frances Mc Dormand on her high horse to raise money for four bouts of elective body improving surgery, Malkovich at this wit's end.
You wonder at the opening how a firing at the CIA, a Treasury worker and his children's story book writing wife and three characters at the gym could possibly come together, but come together they do and the plot becomes more and more entangled and enjoyable.
There is slapstick and farce as well as witty (if too often peppered with swearing) dialogue. This is especially the case with J.K. Simmons as the CIA head (really doing a repeat of his editor role in Spiderman) but, with perfect timing, he sends up the world of espionage, Washington decisions and responsibilities and cover-up.
The Coens have done it again.
1.The Coen brothers’ films, their skills, writing, directing, editing? The blend of the serious and the humorous? The intricate plotting? Ingenuity? Verbal wit?
2.The title, expectations, the secret agencies, espionage, messages? The irony of the CD and its contents, its being used, opening up the world of espionage?
3.Washington, DC, the city, the atmosphere, government offices, the agencies, the departments, the interiors of Langley? Homes, gymnasiums, embassies? The exterior sequences? The parks? The atmospheric score?
4.The disparate worlds of the CIA, the sports gymnasiums, Treasury Department and the writing of children’s books? The links, the connections, the intricacy and the finale?
5.The opening, the global view of Earth, the world, focusing on Washington, and the film leaving the same way?
6.The verbal humour, the wit, characterisations, interchanges, the dumb humour, the contrast with the irony, clichés and spoofs?
7.The opening with the corridor, Ozzie going to the office, the meeting, the head, his being followed, the Serbian desk, his information, his protests about its reliability, the Mormon saying he had a drinking problem and his retort? His attempts to tell Kate, her wanting him to buy the cheeses, the rationalisation that he was resigning rather than being fired? The truth about his drinking? His deciding to write his memoirs – and Kate’s derisive laughter? Telling his father on the yacht? Dictating the memoirs and his being interrupted? The Princeton reunion, his going, the raucousness, the singing? The loss of the disc, Chad’s phone call, the night, Kate’s reaction? His anger, his attitude towards the two as fools? Going to the meeting, his hitting Chad and making his nose bleed? The chase, Linda and her crashing the car into his? The growing anger, his going to the yacht, watching television, doing the aerobics, getting strength, deciding to begin again, coming home, finding Ed in the house, the confrontation, bashing him, the chase onto the street? His condemnation of Ed and the others and his despising of them? The irony of his being shot by the agent?
8.Kate, the British doctor, brittle personality, demands about the cheese and not listening to Ozzie, the party, her relationship with Harry? The issue of telling Sandra, her despising her? Her laughing at Ozzie and his ideas? The meetings with Harry, at the house? Their being followed? Her going to the lawyer, the intricate discussions, the pomposity of the lawyer and his associations, his advice, getting her to spy and getting the financial situation, the possibilities of divorce? Access to the computer, getting the files? Seeing her at work, the child refusing to open its mouth and her demands?
9.George Clooney as Harry, the beard, clothes, dumb? Working for Treasury? The issue of the goat’s cheese and other foods, his allergies? The sexual relationship with Kate, his talk? His relationship with his wife, the writing of the books, her going on trips? The tours, the phone calls? The irony of her getting a private detective on him? His confronting the detective, the detective’s derisive comments to him? His sexual liaisons with other women, the patter being the same? His building the phallic chair in the basement? Internet dating, waiting for Linda, going to the restaurant, the jokes about the food, laughing at the movie, the sexual encounter? His lies to her about his marriage, about moving out? The relationship with Linda, developing? Her asking his help about Chad? The irony of the shower sequence, Chad in the closet, his killing Chad, disposing of the body? His fears about detection? His need for exercise? His running? Linda and the discussions, his paranoia about being surrounded, going to the airport, going to Venezuela?
10.His wife, going to Seattle, on the television, the spoof of television programs, her reading the story, the interruption, Dermott Mulrooney being interviewed (and seeing him in the film excerpt)? Her having a lover, the detective for her husband?
11.The gym, its style, its range of clients, the exercise paraphernalia? Ed, managing, his showing Linda the photo, his having been an orthodox priest? Linda and her work, friendly, her relationship with Chad and his jobs at the gym? Ed and his concern, the disc, wanting out, the discussions with Linda, her not picking up that he was in love with her, his decision to go to Oz’s house, the search for data, the confrontation, his death?
12.Linda, meeting her with the examination by the doctor, the surgery? Her reasons, PR, her consciousness of her body, her age? The discussions with the doctor? The issue of money, the phone calls (and her having to speak in English)? The refusals? Her job at the gym, her friendship with Chad, the disc? The decision to phone Ozzie, the demands for money, the plan, the discussions on the phone and his reaction, the meeting, Chad’s blood nose, the chase and the crash? Their going to the Russian embassy, the parody of the image of the embassy, the agents, the talk, the disc? The Russians getting in touch with the CIA? The phone calls, her return, the disc having no value, her being ousted? Chad, the plan for him to go to Ozzie’s? His disappearance, her worry, talking with Ed, talking with Harry and his reaction? The government arrest, her finally getting the money for the surgery?
13.Brad Pitt as Chad, dumb, his hair, clothes, his work at the gym, the iPod, his musical movements, his inadequacy with words? Finding the disc – and Manolo the attendant and his repetition of finding it? Ed’s reaction, Linda’s, the plan, getting the information about Ozzie’s address, his handling of the phone call and the comedy, the meeting, his being hit, the bleeding nose, on his shirt, going to the embassy, going to Oz’s house, Harry there, the shower, hiding, his death in the closet, his body in the bay?
14.The CIA heads? The discussions, deadpan, keeping the FBI out, trying to avoid problems, glad that the body was disposed of, letting Harry go to Venezuela, giving the money to Linda, that being merely a detail? The final conversation between the two – and the hilarious ending in terms of responsibility and cover-ups?
15.Serious themes – but well developed and explored via humour and laughter?
