Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) 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. His wife, Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton), wants to divorce Osbourne and, at the counsel of her divorce lawyer, she copies many of his personal and financial files off his computer and onto an optical disc. Katie's lover is Treasury agent Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). The disc eventually finds its way to Hardbodies, a workout gym. An employee of the gym, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) obtains the disc from the gym's custodian and ascertains that it contains classified government information. Along with his fellow employee Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), he intends to use the disk to blackmail Osbourne - Linda needs money to pay for cosmetic surgery. They call up Cox in the middle of the night, but he is not receptive. When blackmailing him fails, Linda decides to take the information to the Russian embassy. At the embassy, she hands the disk over to the Russians, promising she will give more information afterwards. Because Linda and Chad don't have any more information, they decide to break into Cox's house.
By now Harry and Linda have met over an internet dating service, and begin seeing each other. Chad stakes out the Cox's house and breaks in when Harry and Katie leave. Harry, however, comes back, finds Chad, and accidentally shoots him in the face. Harry, thinking that Chad was a spy, disposes of the body. Days later, his paranoia increasing after murdering Chad, Harry leaves the Cox residence after a fight with Katie. On his way to leave he manages to tackle a man who has been trailing him for some time, thinking he was working for the CIA or some other government agency. After tackling him, Harry finds out that the man is working for a divorce firm hired by his wife who, it is later revealed, also has been cheating on him. Harry is devastated and goes to see Linda.
The next morning, Harry and Linda meet in a park. When he realizes that Chad was Linda's associate, he becomes paranoid and flees in terror.
Meanwhile, Osbourne returns to his home only to find himself locked out because Katie changed locks in a final move in her secret divorce proceedings. He sleeps overnight in his boat, and the next day breaks into his own house with a hatchet. There he finds Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins), the manager of Hardbodies, rifling through his computer looking for personal information. Due to his feelings for Linda, Ted decided to look for more information to give to the Russians, believing that the Russians had kidnapped Chad. Osbourne shoots Ted, who survives and runs out of the house. Osbourne grabs the hatchet and kills Ted in broad daylight.
The movie ends by returning to the CIA's headquarters, where an official (David Rasche) and his director (J.K. Simmons) are trying to sort out what happened: Chad is dead, Ted is dead, Osbourne is in a coma after being shot by an agent while attacking Ted, Harry has been arrested trying to board a flight to Venezuela (but the CIA wants to let him leave anyway so he's out of their hair), and Linda has agreed to cooperate in exchange for the CIA financing her plastic surgery. The baffled CIA agents then decide that they have learned their lesson: to never repeat whatever it is that they did in this case.
看了《阅后即焚》(Burn After Reading)已经很多天了，依然无法忘记影片中一些令人吃惊的画面，我清晰记得当时至少有两处情节让自己嘴巴张得很大，这种大笑间穿插的突然惊吓，是我爱科恩兄弟的地方。他们没有让我失望，在把一堆裸体小金男抱回家后，用一部看似是喜剧的悲剧让人们再次看到两人“严肃”之外，顽皮幽默的一面。观看本片的很多时候，我似乎都仿佛能看到兄弟俩躲在镜头坏笑的脸。有人偏要拿本片和《老无所依》(No Country For Old Men)相比，其实不必，很显然科恩兄弟是要在用严肃沉重的手法成功地塑造了“极端主义罪恶”之后，整一点轻松的玩意儿，让大家不要忘记除了板着脸孔作恶外，他们大部分时候其实是嬉皮笑脸，很不正经的恶棍。
像科恩兄弟这样自己作制片人、编剧和导演的人，很明确就是在外人表示“科恩独家制造，禁止外人添乱。”果然，即使每部作品并非如出一辙，却也总沿袭着一类再典型不过的个人特色：黑色幽默、突然出现的意外和冷酷无情的残忍。与《老无所依》窒息般的压抑不同，《阅后即焚》(Burn After Reading)的从头到尾像一副讽刺漫画，虽然故事本身并不轻松，却是以一种十分欢快的调子道出，处处充满引人发笑的“傻帽儿行为”。每个角色身上都有明显“白痴”的一面，几乎没有一件事是智慧大脑下的理智行为，有些更有明显的耍宝嫌疑。从科恩兄弟以前的作品就能看出，他们喜欢塑造“傻瓜”角色，专门影射现实中自以为是的人们，以为自己做出的决定是正确的，实际却在别人眼里呈现出的是偏执、头脑简单、冲动等行为，最终得到的结局也是要证明：人人在生活中都是傻瓜，特别是欲望当前的时候，行为可能变得失去逻辑、甚至疯狂。他们也喜欢塑造“自私”的角色，每个人物都只从自己的出发点去做事情，只为追求个人利益和欲望而不顾及后果，近似冷酷无情，人与人之间几乎没有真心可言，因为角色缺少可爱之处，各有另人讨厌的嘴脸，所以死亡在这个冰冷的世界里也显得不再突兀，反而十分正常。
鸳鸯眼的波斯猫
进入秋天
2008/09/21 00:56
Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) 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. His wife, Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton), wants to divorce Osbourne and, at the counsel of her divorce lawyer, she copies many of his personal and financial files off his computer and onto an optical disc. Katie's lover is Treasury agent Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). The disc eventually finds its way to Hardbodies, a workout gym. An employee of the gym, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) obtains the disc from the gym's custodian and ascertains that it contains classified government information. Along with his fellow employee Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), he intends to use the disk to blackmail Osbourne - Linda needs money to pay for cosmetic surgery. They call up Cox in the middle of the night, but he is not receptive. When blackmailing him fails, Linda decides to take the information to the Russian embassy. At the embassy, she hands the disk over to the Russians, promising she will give more information afterwards. Because Linda and Chad don't have any more information, they decide to break into Cox's house.
By now Harry and Linda have met over an internet dating service, and begin seeing each other. Chad stakes out the Cox's house and breaks in when Harry and Katie leave. Harry, however, comes back, finds Chad, and accidentally shoots him in the face. Harry, thinking that Chad was a spy, disposes of the body. Days later, his paranoia increasing after murdering Chad, Harry leaves the Cox residence after a fight with Katie. On his way to leave he manages to tackle a man who has been trailing him for some time, thinking he was working for the CIA or some other government agency. After tackling him, Harry finds out that the man is working for a divorce firm hired by his wife who, it is later revealed, also has been cheating on him. Harry is devastated and goes to see Linda.
The next morning, Harry and Linda meet in a park. When he realizes that Chad was Linda's associate, he becomes paranoid and flees in terror.
Meanwhile, Osbourne returns to his home only to find himself locked out because Katie changed locks in a final move in her secret divorce proceedings. He sleeps overnight in his boat, and the next day breaks into his own house with a hatchet. There he finds Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins), the manager of Hardbodies, rifling through his computer looking for personal information. Due to his feelings for Linda, Ted decided to look for more information to give to the Russians, believing that the Russians had kidnapped Chad. Osbourne shoots Ted, who survives and runs out of the house. Osbourne grabs the hatchet and kills Ted in broad daylight.
The movie ends by returning to the CIA's headquarters, where an official (David Rasche) and his director (J.K. Simmons) are trying to sort out what happened: Chad is dead, Ted is dead, Osbourne is in a coma after being shot by an agent while attacking Ted, Harry has been arrested trying to board a flight to Venezuela (but the CIA wants to let him leave anyway so he's out of their hair), and Linda has agreed to cooperate in exchange for the CIA financing her plastic surgery. The baffled CIA agents then decide that they have learned their lesson: to never repeat whatever it is that they did in this case.
看了《阅后即焚》(Burn After Reading)已经很多天了，依然无法忘记影片中一些令人吃惊的画面，我清晰记得当时至少有两处情节让自己嘴巴张得很大，这种大笑间穿插的突然惊吓，是我爱科恩兄弟的地方。他们没有让我失望，在把一堆裸体小金男抱回家后，用一部看似是喜剧的悲剧让人们再次看到两人“严肃”之外，顽皮幽默的一面。观看本片的很多时候，我似乎都仿佛能看到兄弟俩躲在镜头坏笑的脸。有人偏要拿本片和《老无所依》(No Country For Old Men)相比，其实不必，很显然科恩兄弟是要在用严肃沉重的手法成功地塑造了“极端主义罪恶”之后，整一点轻松的玩意儿，让大家不要忘记除了板着脸孔作恶外，他们大部分时候其实是嬉皮笑脸，很不正经的恶棍。
剧情：因小失大的宿命
影片人物众多，关系复杂，看似互不干涉的人们却因各种巧合及自己错误的选择纠缠在一起。简单说就是：中情局特工考克斯(约翰·马尔科维奇饰)因酗酒被降职，他一怒之下索性辞职，回家写揭露中情局内部秘密的论文，打算报复；没想到记录论文的光盘却被正和自己闹离婚的老婆凯蒂 (蒂尔达·斯文顿饰)当成财政报单拿走，还不幸被遗忘在了健身房里，最终落入了呆头呆脑的健身教练查德 (布拉德·皮特饰)和正急需钱做各种整容手术的琳达 (弗兰西斯·麦克多蒙德饰)手里；在浏览光盘内容之后，心怀鬼胎的两人打算借此来敲诈考克斯，甚至不惜把光盘拿给俄罗斯使馆以作威胁。谁想到考克斯也不是省油的灯，事情越闹越大，逐渐演变成不可收拾的残局；与此同时，与凯蒂有染的官员哈里 (乔治·克鲁尼饰)四处风流，私下却是胆小懦弱的伪君子，不幸卷进了这场混乱不堪的敲诈中，而且成为了让事情变得更遭的关键性人物，制造出情节最大的转折点。暗恋琳达的健身房老板也被无辜拖下水，中情局方面更是越掺和越乱，最后不陪上几条小命儿没法消停。
至于各位角色中谁死了，又是怎么死的，就是要卖的关子了，在科恩兄弟的电影里，不死人是不正常、不够级别、不上档次的，而且保证都死得很无厘头，很突然，也很难看。至于对于死亡的呈现，有些很直接残忍，有些则以随意的语言代过，故意显示对生命的一种不屑及小人物因小失大的最终宿命。
《阅后即焚》像一幅讽刺漫画
像科恩兄弟这样自己作制片人、编剧和导演的人，很明确就是在外人表示“科恩独家制造，禁止外人添乱。”果然，即使每部作品并非如出一辙，却也总沿袭着一类再典型不过的个人特色：黑色幽默、突然出现的意外和冷酷无情的残忍。与《老无所依》窒息般的压抑不同，《阅后即焚》(Burn After Reading)的从头到尾像一副讽刺漫画，虽然故事本身并不轻松，却是以一种十分欢快的调子道出，处处充满引人发笑的“傻帽儿行为”。每个角色身上都有明显“白痴”的一面，几乎没有一件事是智慧大脑下的理智行为，有些更有明显的耍宝嫌疑。从科恩兄弟以前的作品就能看出，他们喜欢塑造“傻瓜”角色，专门影射现实中自以为是的人们，以为自己做出的决定是正确的，实际却在别人眼里呈现出的是偏执、头脑简单、冲动等行为，最终得到的结局也是要证明：人人在生活中都是傻瓜，特别是欲望当前的时候，行为可能变得失去逻辑、甚至疯狂。他们也喜欢塑造“自私”的角色，每个人物都只从自己的出发点去做事情，只为追求个人利益和欲望而不顾及后果，近似冷酷无情，人与人之间几乎没有真心可言，因为角色缺少可爱之处，各有另人讨厌的嘴脸，所以死亡在这个冰冷的世界里也显得不再突兀，反而十分正常。
大腕们的“傻瓜”表演
为呈现冒傻气的行为，除了语言外，演员的夸张表演一定不能少，科恩兄弟最大的本事就是把原本很帅的变成小丑，把原本就不怎么帅的进一步整成禽兽，而他们选择演员的眼光绝对一流。乔治·克鲁尼已经献身为兄弟俩演了三次傻瓜，很明显他驾轻就熟，虽然在本片中他是要呈现一个“花花公子”，擅长花言巧语，却也一脸胡子的邋遢相，有着很孬种、胆小怕事的一面，更是片中唯一一个为自己做的事感到不安的一位。克鲁尼对此人心中有鬼作祟的惊慌感表现得十分贴切。（片中此人还发明了一种“成人情趣商品”，十分有创意，看起来很好用的样子^_^）。这次被拉下水的还有布拉德·皮特，扮演了个头脑发热的小青年，从发型到动作都愚蠢到夸张，是皮特同学近年里最“傻缺”的一次表演，让人了解科恩兄弟没看走眼，布拉德·皮特果然有放下架子，甘作小丑的本领，即便观众可能不明白为什么他要丑化自己，甘愿扮演这样一个傻帽儿角色，却不得不承认，这次表演是十分成功到位的，彻底破坏了他在我心目中帅气潇洒的形象，也算是一种演员为角色而牺牲吧，仍然值得表扬。
蒂尔达·斯文顿饰演角色的自私和无情让人印象深刻
弗兰西斯·麦克多蒙德(Frances McDormand)作为导演中哥哥乔尔·科恩(Joel Coen)的妻子，更是义不容辞继《冰血暴》(Fargo)后再次出马，塑造出的琳达是本人在片中最喜欢的角色，一根儿劲到近似偏执的傻女人。为了找到爱情只顾在外表上下功夫，蒙蔽了双眼看不到真正对她好的人，为了整容手术居然连CIA都敢要挟，这种让人不可思仪的小市民狭隘想法，让人觉得又可笑又可悲，而弗兰西斯则把这个女人的头脑发热与莽撞演得尤其生动。今年奥斯卡最佳女配角得主蒂尔达·斯文顿发挥了她最擅长的“冷酷”本色演出，很像她在《纳尼亚传奇》(Narnia)中扮演的冰雪女王，说话似乎都在往外吐冷气，像是完全丧失人性光辉和温暖的一个驱壳。虽然这个角色在片中算是配角，作用不大，但其自私和无情的本性让人印象深刻，有助于塑造事态炎凉的故事大环境，也成为其他几个或暴躁或耍宝角色中很好的“降温剂”，不会让影片始终保持过于焦躁、高亢的情绪中。约翰·马尔科维奇的表演像以往一样变态，这个特工几乎就是一个脾气火暴的野兽，谁都不知道他下一分钟能做出什么疯狂的事情来。
细节体现人物性格
科恩兄弟塑造人物时喜欢抓住一些典型小动作作为特征，不断重复体现性格特点，比如克鲁尼的角色嘴很甜，常常不自觉一进门就夸奖人家的地板，而不负责任则体现在每次偷情后都会马上抛下一句“我该撤了”。琳达每次去见网友则总是以一样的忐忑心情偷瞄街上的每个人，以外貌作为重要标准。布拉德·皮特扮演的傻帽儿则每次喝水动作都像小婴儿喝奶，嘴歪咬着吸管，并不断重复他听耳机乱扭的白痴动作。
影片对于中情局的讽刺主要以J.K. Simmons扮演的“长官”和下级之间头脑简单的搞笑对话为代表，两人出现的情节也成为影院中的笑声高潮。显然这个长官都不知道出了什么事，就一律以省事为主，也不管谁对谁错，有什么阴谋，见尸体就都烧了，惹麻烦的都毙了，有嫌疑的都跟踪，没事也不用老汇报。不管发生了什么，只要最后该清理的都清理干净了，该打发的都用钱打发走了，就完事大吉了。这就是中情局的办事原则。
结局依然让人称绝
影片语言除了犀利辛辣外，也透着一股对凡事“不屑”的懒散感，让人感觉人人对事情都漠然处之。然而就在观众放松心态乐在其中时，却冷不丁出现几个突然的“转折”，整死几位主角，让人意识到原来这是一个再残忍不过的现实悲剧。最后也不忘在令人目瞪口呆的“结尾”中嘎然而止，留下一片哗然。兄弟俩一向是冷酷的，他们手下的人物几乎都没好下场，这次也不例外，但是作为观众，看完却都有“拍手”叫绝的冲动，这就是科恩兄弟电影的独特之处。
《阅后即梦》并没有太多新奇的点子和包袱，也没有挖掘新的寓意，从音乐、人物塑造和整体风格都十分带有科恩兄弟鲜明的特征，如果你喜欢他们以往的作品，这部也绝对不会失望。然而不喜欢他们风格的，可能就容易在《老无所依》之后，感觉到本片的相对浅显。但我觉得《老无所依》明显看得出其中的苦心，而本片则明显是兄弟二人以玩的心态在创作。比起针对年轻人的烂俗喜剧，科恩兄弟的喜剧更成熟稳健，注重讽刺性和情节的曲折及意外感，让人看着需要动些脑筋，好像一对只会说反语的兄弟，需要花心思去猜测他们背后的寓意。
译名：阅后即焚
导演：伊桑·科恩（Ethan Coen）
乔尔·科恩 （Joel Coen）
主演：布拉德·皮特（Brad Pitt）
乔治·克鲁尼（George Clooney）
弗兰西斯·麦克多蒙德（Frances McDormand）
蒂尔达·斯文顿（Tilda Swinton）
类型：喜剧/犯罪
片长：--
级别：R级(性内容，暴力)
发行：焦点影业
上映日期：2008年9月12日（美国）
IMDB评分：8.1/10(4,359 votes)
推荐指数：★★★★★