Burn After Reading: The Coens Return

Meant to tell you this sooner, because I like to keep you ahead of the pack: the Coen Brothers' latest film, Burn After Reading, is very good indeed. Don't worry, I won't spoiler you, but suffice to say that it's hilarious. Intentionally so, naturellement.

After No Country For Old Men's bleak body count, this is almost inevitably a lighter affair. Being the Coens' work, however, there are also some great, incongruously severe moments which catch you off guard and lift you out of your seat. If I had to compare it to a previous flick from their CV, it'd be the classic Fargo - and not just because Frances McDormand's in it (along with up-and-coming thespians George Clooney, John Malkovich and a particularly amusing Brad Pitt). There's a similar level of black humour, taking a microscope once again to the absurdities of human behaviour, with characters crazily pinballing off one another.

No Country... caused debate in script circles, for a couple of its unorthodox choices (personally, I really liked that ending), and I suspect Burn After Reading may follow suit. One thing's almost certainly true: only the Coen Brothers could get away with it, but they do so with ludicrous aplomb.

Burn After Reading opens in the UK on October 17.

3 comments:

Sabina E. said...

I saw it, too. Made me laugh out loud at some of its sheer absurdity, but that's what the Coen Brothers are known for.

I LOVED No Country for Old Men, it was completely different and unexpected. Most people dont like the film, though. Too bad for them!

Anonymous said...

can´t wait to see this movie. problem is, that i have to drive to the next town to watch it in englisch *damn it*

Robin Kelly said...

I know you like your revenge flicks, Taken is an excellent addition to the genre, if you ain't already eyeballed it.