Burn After Reading
Movie, 2008, The 2000s, Set in Washington, D.C.
Burn After Reading is #13 of 21 in release order and #13 of 21 in chronological order in the The Coen Brothers.
The story
When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda and Chad, they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit.
Burn After Reading recap
CIA analyst Osborne Cox quits when he is demoted for his drinking and starts writing a memoir. His wife Katie, who is having an affair with Harry Pfarrer, a married Treasury marshal, copies Osborne's files onto a disc while planning a divorce. Her lawyer's assistant leaves the disc at a gym, where employees Linda Litzke, who wants money for cosmetic surgery, and Chad Feldheimer, a cheerful dimwit, decide it is secret intelligence. They try to blackmail Osborne for a reward, then offer it to the Russian embassy. Linda dates men she meets online, including Harry, who is paranoid that he is being followed. Chad sneaks into the Cox house to find more files and hides in a wardrobe when Harry comes in. Harry, who has carried a gun for twenty years without firing it, panics and shoots him. Osborne is thrown out by Katie and goes after the person he thinks is behind it. The last of the Coen Brothers' Idiot Trilogy, Clooney's Harry is another fool.
Burn After Reading ending explained
Chad and Ted die, Osborne is shot by the CIA, and the agency covers it all up. Linda's gym manager Ted breaks into the Cox house and is killed by Osborne with a hatchet. A CIA officer shoots Osborne, who falls into a coma. Harry tries to flee to Venezuela and is detained. Linda agrees to stay quiet in return for the agency paying for her surgery. At headquarters, a CIA director and an officer cannot say what any of it meant, and resolve not to do it again.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 78%
Where it fits
- Release order: after No Country for Old Men, before A Serious Man.
- Chronological order: after No Country for Old Men, before A Serious Man.
Cast
- George Clooney as Harry Pfarrer
- Frances McDormand as Linda Litzke
- Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer
- John Malkovich as Osborne Cox
- Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox
- Richard Jenkins as Ted
- Elizabeth Marvel as Sandy Pfarrer
- David Rasche as CIA Officer
- J.K. Simmons as CIA Superior
- Olek Krupa as Krapotkin
- Michael Countryman as Alan
- Kevin Sussman as Tuchman Marsh Man
Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen.