Burn After Reading poster

Burn After Reading

200896 minutesR
2.6
Arcplot Score
📝 Unconventional
Unverified
⭐ 7.0IMDb
🍅 78%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 63/100Metacritic
🎬 6.7TMDb
📊 3.2Popularity
🏆Nominated for 3 BAFTA 8 wins & 32 nominations total
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Directed by: Coen Brothers
Osbourne Cox, a Balkan expert, resigned from the CIA because of a drinking problem, so he begins a memoir. His wife wants a divorce and expects her lover, Harry, a philandering State Department marshal, to leave his wife. A CD-ROM falls out of a gym bag at a Georgetown fitness center. Two employees there try to turn it into cash: Linda, who wants money for cosmetic surgery, and Chad, an amiable goof. Information on the disc leads them to Osbourne who rejects their sales pitch; then they visit the Russian embassy. To sweeten the pot, they decide they need more of Osbourne's secrets. Meanwhile, Linda's boss likes her, and Harry's wife leaves for a book tour. All roads lead to Osbourne's house.

Box Office

Budget:$37.0M
Revenue:$163.7M
Profit:$126.7M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision2.9/10
Emotional Arc Impact3/10
Thematic Consistency2/10
Overall Score2.6/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Burn After Reading Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
5 min
3
Set-Up
15 min
4
Catalyst
25 min
5
Debate
35 min
6
Break Into Two
45 min
7
B Story
55 min
8
Fun and Games
65 min
9
Midpoint
75 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
85 min
11
All Is Lost
90 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
93 min
13
Break Into Three
94 min
14
Finale
95 min
15
Final Image
96 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

CIA analyst Osborne Cox frustrated at work; personal life in disarray.

#2

Theme Stated

5 min

Incompetence, greed, and miscommunication drive chaos.

#3

Set-Up

15 min

Linda and Chad discover Cox's documents; misunderstandings begin.

#4

Catalyst

25 min

They attempt blackmail, initiating a series of ridiculous events.

#5

Debate

35 min

Can anyone handle the escalating mess? Stakes of ego and greed collide.

#6

Break Into Two

45 min

Plots collide; blackmail attempt spirals out of control.

#7

B Story

55 min

Osborne's personal life, wife Katie and neighbor relationships.

#8

Fun and Games

65 min

Chaos, misunderstandings, accidental deaths, absurd comedy.

#9

Midpoint

75 min

Escalating danger; characters’ plans unravel. False victories fail.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

85 min

FBI and criminals closing in; comedic tension peaks.

#11

All Is Lost

90 min

Everyone realizes their efforts were meaningless; personal stakes shattered.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

93 min

Reflection on absurdity of actions; irony and dark humor abound.

#13

Break Into Three

94 min

Final attempts to resolve conflicts, all failing comically.

#14

Finale

95 min

Characters meet absurd fates; chaos settles humorously.

#15

Final Image

96 min

End frame echoes opening chaos; world indifferent, comedy dark and satirical.