MOVIE · 2008

Burn After Reading

ComedyCrimeDramaThriller96 min

A misplaced disc containing a former CIA analyst’s memoirs lands with two gym employees who mistake it for valuable intelligence and decide to cash in. Frances McDormand is Linda, fixated on paying for cosmetic surgery, while Brad Pitt’s Chad brings a gleeful lack of judgment to the plan. As their clumsy blackmail attempt spreads, John Malkovich’s seething Osborne Cox, George Clooney’s philandering U.S. marshal, and Tilda Swinton’s Katie Cox get pulled into the fallout. What starts with a locker-room find ricochets through Washington affairs, paranoia, and baffled CIA offices.