‘Burn After Reading’ (2008)
Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) aren’t the brightest people around, but they’re ambitious. When they find a mysterious disc belonging to a CIA analyst at their gym, they decide to blackmail him for money. But their attempts fail spectacularly, and soon, the Russian embassy and the CIA become involved. Linda and Chad are way in over their heads, and they may face a punishment that’s worse than prison for their crimes.
Directed by the Coen Brothers, Burn After Reading is a comedy that’s closer to Raising Arizona than The Ladykillers. Linda and Chad are dimwits, and their comical attempts for financial gain lead to shocking scenes of violence that are also incredibly funny. The movie’s ending is deliberately anticlimactic — as Peggy Lee once crooned, “Is that all there is?”
Source Usmagazine.com