Burn After Reading, the dark comedy from the Coen brothers, is joining Prime Video's catalog on September 1, 2026. Released in 2008, the film brings together George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, and Tilda Swinton in an espionage caper sparked by a misunderstanding.
Osbourne Cox, a CIA analyst played by John Malkovich, has just been fired. He decides to write his memoirs, unaware that a disk containing a copy of his files will be left behind in the locker rooms of a Washington, D.C., gym.
The document lands in the hands of Linda Litzke and Chad Feldheimer, two club employees portrayed by Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt. Convinced they’ve uncovered state secrets, they try to shake down Cox. Linda wants to use the money to fund cosmetic surgery, while Chad eagerly dives into a negotiation whose risks he doesn’t fully grasp.
Their move soon intersects with Cox's marital troubles and the misadventures of Harry Pfarrer, a federal marshal portrayed by George Clooney. Affairs, surveillance, paranoia, and meddling by intelligence services swirl around a piece of information that, in truth, doesn't carry the strategic heft everyone ascribes to it.
With this satirical comedy, the Coen brothers subvert the conventions of the spy thriller. The plot isn’t built on a grand conspiracy, but on a series of missteps by characters driven by their own interests: career ambitions, cosmetic surgery, affairs outside marriage, or simply a need to feel important.
The cast also features Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox, Osbourne’s wife, and Richard Jenkins as Ted Treffon, the head of the sports club who is secretly in love with Linda. J.K. Simmons and David Rasche portray two CIA officers tasked with assessing the fallout of this affair that’s spiraling out of control.
To keep your selection going, check out the Prime Video new releases for September, our guide to films and series to watch on streaming platforms, and today's streaming releases.
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