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Burn After Reading: A Screenplay
The latest script from the Academy Award-winning filmmakers behind Fargo and No Country for Old Men
In Burn After Reading, two gym instructors (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) accidentally stumble across and try to sell a disk containing the memoirs of CIA agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), who has recently been fired from the agency. Their attempts at blackmail go wildly awry, gradually engulfing Osborne Cox's estranged wife (Tilda Swinton) and her lover (George Clooney), whose involvement triggers a series of tragic consequences.
In Burn After Reading, two gym instructors (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) accidentally stumble across and try to sell a disk containing the memoirs of CIA agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), who has recently been fired from the agency. Their attempts at blackmail go wildly awry, gradually engulfing Osborne Cox's estranged wife (Tilda Swinton) and her lover (George Clooney), whose involvement triggers a series of tragic consequences.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2008
2 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Joel Coen
39 books79 followersJoel Coen and Ethan Coen, known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are four-time Academy Award winning American filmmakers. For more than twenty years, the pair have written and directed numerous successful films, ranging from screwball comedies (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy) to film noir (Miller's Crossing, Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There, No Country for Old Men), to movies where genres blur together (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Barton Fink). The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes. They are known in the film business as "the two-headed director", as they share such a similar vision of what their films are to be that actors say that they can approach either brother with a question and get the same answer.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 21, 2025
Burn After Reading by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen the auteurs of such classics as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Blood Simple, reviewed on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
9 out of 10
In an interview aired some years ago, Joel and Ethan Coen talk about their first film https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... Bood Simple, with Frances McDormand, married to Joel Coen, in the leading role of the wife that is abused by her husband
The budget was so tiny that they could not afford any extra expense, indeed, this was a fantastic achievement, with very little spending – there is memorable scene – well, actually so many – in which this body has to be taken out of the car, taken to a field, but a truck is coming on the road, from the opposite direction
Because they could not film this many times, or a few, coming down to one take and that is it on the little money, they had to draw the scene – which is done – but very careful to all the details, so that they could get it right the first time, the result is a spectacular motion picture, and even more remarkable for being a debut
Just like Sex, Lies and Videotape https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... launched the career of another giant, Steven Soderbergh, as a first, phenomenal creation, maybe I imagine it, but I see it winning the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, albeit it could just be a projection, and changing one ward for another
- In my mind
John Malkovich is Osborne Cox, a CIA operative or analyst, and he gets fired, to his astonishment, chagrin and eventually a degree of madness, he wants to write about his work, experiences and he starts recording some ideas, then forgets precious information on a disk, at the gym, where he works out, if I remember well
This is where Linda Litzke aka Frances McDormand – winner of 4 Oscars, one for for Fargo https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... - and Chad Feldheimer aka Brad Pitt work, and they find the secrets – actually, somebody else does, but somehow they see here an opportunity
For blackmail
Nevertheless, Chad is really silly, Linda has more gumption, though she is out of her league, and some of her initiatives are hilarious – this is a good comedy and a spoiler alert would be in order here, that is, if anyone is still listening in – she takes her material to the…Russian Embassy, when the effort to have a deal made fails
Meanwhile, Katie Cox is married to the CIA man – this is Tilda Swinton, for some strange reason, I have an allergy to her, that is I cannot watch her acting, unless it is something like the marvelous Killer – and has an affair with Harry Pfarrer who is played by an unbelievably gauche George Clooney, he fails utterly from one point on
A nadir would be the moment when Chad enters this place, thinking he can get an advantage, but Harry is there, and the poor idiot (Chad) gets killed, accidentally, as he was hiding in a closet and he shocks the unexpecting, philandering Harry – the latter puts ads on the net, and he meets with Linda, also interested in sex
Ted is portrayed by wonderful Richard Jenkins, he is the boss at the gym, infatuated with Linda, only she does not reciprocate, it is a Comedy of Errors…
This is not on the level of
- No Country For Old Men
After all, such marvels https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... are rare to find
Everything in No Country for Ald Men is outstanding, this is one of my Top 100 Movies, but especially memorable is the performance of Javier Bardem
The scene with the coin toss, when he walks into this gas station, and tells the owner to make a guess on the result
The old man is not really into it, wondering what this is all about, the audience knows however what this lunatic has been doing
Curt, Anton Chigurh that is fantastic Javier Bardem, with such a remarkable haircut, presence air, mimic, you name it says:
- You have everything to gain from this
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
9 out of 10
In an interview aired some years ago, Joel and Ethan Coen talk about their first film https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... Bood Simple, with Frances McDormand, married to Joel Coen, in the leading role of the wife that is abused by her husband
The budget was so tiny that they could not afford any extra expense, indeed, this was a fantastic achievement, with very little spending – there is memorable scene – well, actually so many – in which this body has to be taken out of the car, taken to a field, but a truck is coming on the road, from the opposite direction
Because they could not film this many times, or a few, coming down to one take and that is it on the little money, they had to draw the scene – which is done – but very careful to all the details, so that they could get it right the first time, the result is a spectacular motion picture, and even more remarkable for being a debut
Just like Sex, Lies and Videotape https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... launched the career of another giant, Steven Soderbergh, as a first, phenomenal creation, maybe I imagine it, but I see it winning the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, albeit it could just be a projection, and changing one ward for another
- In my mind
John Malkovich is Osborne Cox, a CIA operative or analyst, and he gets fired, to his astonishment, chagrin and eventually a degree of madness, he wants to write about his work, experiences and he starts recording some ideas, then forgets precious information on a disk, at the gym, where he works out, if I remember well
This is where Linda Litzke aka Frances McDormand – winner of 4 Oscars, one for for Fargo https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... - and Chad Feldheimer aka Brad Pitt work, and they find the secrets – actually, somebody else does, but somehow they see here an opportunity
For blackmail
Nevertheless, Chad is really silly, Linda has more gumption, though she is out of her league, and some of her initiatives are hilarious – this is a good comedy and a spoiler alert would be in order here, that is, if anyone is still listening in – she takes her material to the…Russian Embassy, when the effort to have a deal made fails
Meanwhile, Katie Cox is married to the CIA man – this is Tilda Swinton, for some strange reason, I have an allergy to her, that is I cannot watch her acting, unless it is something like the marvelous Killer – and has an affair with Harry Pfarrer who is played by an unbelievably gauche George Clooney, he fails utterly from one point on
A nadir would be the moment when Chad enters this place, thinking he can get an advantage, but Harry is there, and the poor idiot (Chad) gets killed, accidentally, as he was hiding in a closet and he shocks the unexpecting, philandering Harry – the latter puts ads on the net, and he meets with Linda, also interested in sex
Ted is portrayed by wonderful Richard Jenkins, he is the boss at the gym, infatuated with Linda, only she does not reciprocate, it is a Comedy of Errors…
This is not on the level of
- No Country For Old Men
After all, such marvels https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... are rare to find
Everything in No Country for Ald Men is outstanding, this is one of my Top 100 Movies, but especially memorable is the performance of Javier Bardem
The scene with the coin toss, when he walks into this gas station, and tells the owner to make a guess on the result
The old man is not really into it, wondering what this is all about, the audience knows however what this lunatic has been doing
Curt, Anton Chigurh that is fantastic Javier Bardem, with such a remarkable haircut, presence air, mimic, you name it says:
- You have everything to gain from this
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
April 25, 2009
Boring. Pointless. Random.
February 11, 2020
I can't put my finger on exactly what was so great about this script.
I watched the film a long time ago and although I liked it I wasn't in love with it. As I didn't find it that memorable, I forgot most of it before reading the screenplay and it
I watched the film a long time ago and although I liked it I wasn't in love with it. As I didn't find it that memorable, I forgot most of it before reading the screenplay and it
October 19, 2019
What was that about? Coen brothers didn't know it either I guess 😁😁😁
January 11, 2020
Screenplay is not fun to read; it was hard to follow; I won't be surprised if the movie is good. Coen brothers make great movies but is hard to visualize from the screenplay.
July 29, 2013
It just...worked for me.
May 4, 2015
Not bad. Although, if I were to watch this movie, I'd prolly be bored.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews