Burn After Reading (2008/Universal Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C+ Film: B-
The Spy
genre is slowly working itself into the narrowest corner since the end of The
Cold War, so I was intrigued when I heard The Coen Brothers were going to take
it on with Burn After Reading (2008)
featuring an exceptional cast and focuses on the bureaucratic side of the
genre. Robert DeNiro did just that with
the more serious The Good Shepherd
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) but too few of the Espionage films (including
many blockbusters) have dealt with this side of things.
John
Malkovich is an adviser to the CIA who suddenly finds himself laid off for what
seems to be political reasons. He is not
having the best times of it at home with his wife (Tilda Swinton) who is having
an affair and they are on their way to divorce.
In addition, she buns a disc of Top Secret information from his computer
and accidentally loses it the gym. It is
then found by two goofy co-workers (Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt) who want to
make money on it!
They meet
with its original owner (Malkovich) with poor results, so they decide to try
and find a way to make money on it, especially since she is furious that her
HMO rejected her four elective surgeries that would make her look younger and
feel better about herself. George
Clooney, Richard Jennings and J.K. Simmons also star in this comedy that is
more comedy than thriller and though it can be funny and interesting, it never
is fully realized, ends before it gets a chance to take off and though good,
could have been richer. Still, it is
ambitious and has enough good moments to see it at least once, but it should
have been longer.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is a little grainier than expected, but
the look is consistent and is the first time The Coens have worked with
Director of Photography Emmanuel Lubezki, A.S.C., A.M.C., whose recent work in Children Of Men and The New World has been among his
strongest. The comic/expressionistic
style of The Coen comedy approach is still here, but it is more toned down than
in previous films. It is an interesting
change of pace. The DTS HD Master Audio
(MA) lossless 5.1 is well recorded, dialogue-based and has another fine score
by Carter Burwell (whose been scoring Coen films since Blood Simple), so the soundfield is not expansive, but still pretty
good.
Extras
include three behind the scenes pieces on the film (Finding The Burn, DC Insiders
Run Amuck and Welcome Back, George)
and BD Live interactivity. I would have
liked more here, but all in all, this is not a bad release.
- Nicholas Sheffo
