Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 96 mins – 2008 – Rated R– 1080p Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

 

 

The Coen Brothers are two of the most influential filmmakers of our generation, crafting such cinema classics as Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and most recently, No Country For Old Men. You always know you’re in for top-notch filmmaking when you’re watching a Coen Brothers movie, but even genius stumbles and falls every now and then. The brothers’ latest movie, Burn After Reading, appears to have problems right from the start, but you be the final judge now that the film is available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

 

THE MOVIE

 

Burn After Reading is a conspiracy comedy with a who’s-who list of Hollywood A-list talent. The story follows a pair of gym employees played by Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand, who stumble upon a disc that contains some of the CIA’s darkest secrets, and trying to cash in on it through blackmail. Tossed into the mix are a psychotic ex-CIA agent (John Malkovich), his cheating wife (Tilda Swinton), and her out of control lover (George Clooney).

 

It’s hard to make any sense out of this film, because in many places it seems like you’re watching outtakes of one of the Ocean Eleven, Twelve, or Thirteen films. Everyone in the casts is basically known for their dramatic work, so it’s hard to watch them trying to be funny. Seriously, can you even picture Brad Pitt trying to do an impression of Jim Carrey?

 

And being that the film was conceived by Joel and Ethan Coen, you only expect the best, and when the movie stops making in sense you may think that the Coens are such cinema gods that you’re a idiot because you don’t get what’s going on. But after that moment is over you just realize that even Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have made some lousy films, so the Coens are entitled to a few stinkers as well.

 

If you’re a fan of the Coen Brother’s work, or any of the actors in the casts, Burn After Ready will attract you, but beyond that it’s all a matter of opinion, and judging how this film didn’t make a spark at the box office when it was released, that scale of the opinion tips to the unfavorable side.

 

VIDEO

 

Universal always offers great Blu-ray transfers, but Burn After Reading doesn’t stand against some of their other titles. With a full 1080p image fit into a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the film looks fine, but just slightly above what you’d get from the standard DVD. Flesh tones and colors look sharp, but there is heavy grain that is too noticeable at times. It’s not awful, but from Blu-ray you always expect the image to jump off the screen, and in this case it does not.

 

AUDIO

 

With a DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 audio mix, Burn After reading doesn’t attempt to get fancy in any way and just focuses on making sure everything is heard clearly. There is plenty of dialogue in the film and it all sounds crystal clear. On the occasions when there are louder sound effects, the balance is solid.

 

EXTRAS

 

The bonus features on this Blu-ray are so anemic that if you blink you’ll miss them. There’s no audio commentary by the Brothers Coen, so all you’re getting are a couple of lame featurettes.

 

Finding the Burn is a six-minute behind the scenes look at the movie that plays out like one of those feaurettes they stick into the slots in between movies on HBO.

 

DC Insiders Run Amuck looks at the cast of Burn After Reading.

 

Welcome Back, George celebrates George Clooney’s third collaboration with the Coen Brothers.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Burn After Reading is not the Coen Brother’s at their best, but it’s worth a rental. The Blu-ray is only basic with decent image and sound, but the bonus material offered is not even worth looking at. The Coen Brothers will always have a new film that comes out and wins both audiences and critics back, so let’s just call Burn After Reading their experimental work.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 1.5

Bottom Line: 2.5