Sex, deception and utter cluelessness intermingle in "Burn After Reading," a darkly comic thriller from brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. This follow-up piece to last year’s Oscar-winning "No Country For Old Men" finds the master filmmakers returning a little to their roots, with a refined sense of mischief and style.

At the center of the story is Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), a mid-level CIA analyst who quits the agency rather than allow himself to be demoted for having a drinking problem. The news doesn’t sit well with his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), who’s been secretly contemplating divorce even before Ozzy’s latest bombshell. This seals the deal.

Desperate for something meaningful to fill his empty life, Ozzy begins to write his memoirs. Meanwhile, under the advice of her lawyer, Katie begins collecting Ozzy’s personal financial information to use in the divorce settlement. In her rush, Katie grabs a little of each and stores it on a CD.

The story takes an unfortunate turn when the disc is accidentally left at a nearby health club, found by a couple of not-so-bright employees, Chad (Brad Pitt) and Linda (Frances McDormand). When the pair discovers who the data belongs to, they try to return it but are met by Ozzy’s notorious hot temper. Though clearly out of their league and without a clue as to what they really have, Chad and Linda do their worst to extract some kind of reward for their find.

George Clooney provides the common thread as former Secret Service Agent Harry Pfarrer, a master lothario who not only cheats on his wife with Katie, but who also engages in Internet dating, which is how he meets Linda. Though he promised Katie to leave his wife if she leaves Ozzy, when push comes to shove, Harry gets cold feet.

Where this all leads is anyone’s guess because there’s nothing predictable about this script, beyond what we’ve learned from other Coen classics: What comes around, goes around.

It’s unfortunate that the studio trailers painted this as almost a screwball comedy, which it definitely is not. Likewise, those expecting another "Fargo" might be greatly disappointed. It’s more of an old-school Hitchcockian thriller, dripping with style, about coincidences, bad choices and mistaken identity, sprinkled with just enough pitch-black comedy to remind us how delightfully absurd it all is.

In a movie populated by mostly unsympathetic characters, McDormand stands out as the foolishly desperate, lonely hearted Linda. Convinced she’s grown too old to attract a decent mate, Linda is driven by the desire to have a series of cosmetic surgery operations. Turned down by her insurance plan, she sees blackmail as her next best option, common sense be damned.

Once again, McDormand brings deep nuances to a role that might otherwise be seen as shallow. Her dating quests are tinged with sadness, while her playful interaction with Pitt’s character provides periods of welcome lunacy. Meanwhile, circling just beneath her love radar, there’s Ted (Richard Jenkins), the health club manager with a secret crush on Linda.

Clooney continues to prove his acting chops in his third Coen brothers film, filling his character with sleazy debonair, paranoid quirks and several entertaining running gags. He’s primarily paired with Swinton, who carries an icy glare throughout much of the movie.

The beauty of this film can be found in the marvelously constructed screenplay, another Coen classic of circumstantial drama, in which a series of convoluted problems jointly hinder each other’s resolution. There’s another term for it, uttered near the very end, that sums it up nicely, karmic in its simplicity. It’s about this time that the audience realizes they’ve been taken for a wicked little ride.

burn after reading

Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton

Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

Rating: R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.

Theaters: Stadium 14, Forum 8

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