Another filmmaking brilliance shown by the Coen Brothers.

If you have not heard of the Coen Brothers, where have you been hiding? They have directed some of the biggest and greatest films on the big screen. One of their outstanding works is the recent No Country For Old Men, which clinged 4 Oscars last year. Another memorable film I immensely enjoyed that they excelled in was a collage of short stories, adapted into a motion picture, called Paris je T'aime.

This past Tuesday I had a pleasure of experiencing their brilliance in their latest body of work titled Burn After Reading. The hilarious comedy is about 2 gym workers who come across sensitive ex-CIA memoir notes. They try to solicit or rather extort money in return of this information to the rightful owner. The chain of events that follow are presented in such clever, unique and witty humour. Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand plat the 2 gym workers. You see Brad Pitt in a way you have never seen him before. Frances is wonderful too, impressing me more after her awesome performance on Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day a few months ago. George Clooney's character is just as different, switching up his always charming and commanding role for more normal, and rather silly character. Another superhouse, John Malkovich delivers the goods too with his more calculated humour that's relayed in a tongue-in-cheek kind of fashion.

The story and the cast are so engaging, proving a winning formula in the selection of the actors blended with the screenplay. It seems the Coen Brothers rolled in the red capert in an impressive line-up that includes 3 Oscar winners and 2 Oscar nominees. On top of Frances and Clooney as Academy Award winners is the recent victor of the statuette, Tilda Swinton, who equally empresses in her role. I have to mention JK Simmons on the same breath too as he has become one of the most notable and sterling actors of our time.

Burn After Reading is a fantastic piece of work. The Coen Brothers have taken a serious subject and whimsically turned it into a joyous journey for the audience. The ability to draw out and inspire the actors to be so un-inhibited in their characters makes for a great gift too. This is definitely one of the best films to come out this year. Go out and see Brad Pitt, George Clooney and John Malkovich like you've never seen them before. Totally hilarious.

Burn After Reading opens at cnemas on the 09th of January 2009.