In "Burn After Reading," two gym instructors (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) accidentally stumble across and try to sell a disk containing the memoirs of CIA agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), who has recently been fired from the agency. Their attempts at blackmail go wildly awry, gradually engulfing Osborne Cox's estranged wife (Tilda Swinton) and her lover (George Clooney), whose involvement triggers a series of tragic consequences.

With this latest offering, Joel and Ethan Coen take on the spy thriller and reinvent it as only they can-combining humor and violence in completely unexpected ways, with the verbal dexterity that so defines their work.