Introducing Burn After Reading

15 October 2008

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This weeks sees Burn After Reading finally being released in the UK and it's the first film from the Coen brothers since their Oscar winning No Country for Old Men and with reunite them with George Clooney for the first time since O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The film also reunites Clooney with his Michael Clayton co-star, and Oscar winner, Tilda Swinton and his old mucker Brad Pitt.

FemaleFirst introduces you to the film's core characters.

Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand)

When a disc containing classified government information is left in their gym Chad and Linda see an opportunity to make some money through blackmail.

it's Linda who is the brains behind the operation and buffoon Chad is happy to plan the dim-witted sidekick.

But when their plans fails Linda decides to take the information to the Russian embassy. She hands the disc over promising that more information will follow.

But when they have nothing else to give to the Russians they plant to break into Cox's house. After Chad's stakeout on the property he enters the house but it all goes horribly wrong.

Osbourne Cox - John Malkovich

Cox is a CIA analyst who quits his job at the agency after being demoted ostensibly because of his drinking problem. He then decides to write a memoir about his life in the CIA.

But when he loses the disc Cox is blackmailed by two gym employees. He is also on the verge of being divorced by his wife.

However when the Linda and Chad phone him in the middle of the night to begin their blackmailing Cox is less than receptive and their plan to extract money from him fails.

Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton)

Katie Cox is a pediatrician and desperately wants to divorce her CIA analyst husband Osbourne. With the backing of her lawyer she copies many of his personal and financial files from his computer onto a disc.

But her lawyer's receptionist accidentally leave it in Hardbodies gym, where it is found by Chad and Linda.

Katie is also embroiled in an affair with Treasury agent Harry Pfarrer.

Harry Pfarrer - George Clooney

Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) is an oversexed, fanatically fit, lactose-intolerant federal marshal who is sleeping with Cox's wife.

When Harry returns to Katie's house he finds an intruder and accidentally shoots him in the face and thinking that he was a spy, due to his lack of documentation, he gets rid of the body.

He by chance meet Linda online and he begins to date her when she tells him that her friend Chad is missing he agrees to help her.

When he realises he may have had a hand in Chad's disappearance he flees thinking that Linda is also a spy.