Last year Joel and Ethan Coen returned after a nearly four year absence from the screen following two underwhelming films (Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers) with the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men. This career-best film from the duo wasn’t flawless, but it had so much power and such commanding dramatic scenes that it made us all re-think the capabilities of these enormously talented filmmakers. And now, less than a year later, a new film of theirs has already come and gone from theatres, the frantic dark comedy Burn After Reading. Kudos to these guys for following up the somber No Country for Old Men with a very funny (if somewhat trite) piece of entertainment that gathers old friends (Frances McDormand, George Clooney) with new faces (Brad Pitt, John Malkovich). Opening with an uncomfortable and hilarious scene involving a member of the CIA Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) being let go, the movie moves along at a brisk pace, cutting out far earlier than we want it to end. The whole enterprise definitely has the inherent feeling that the cast and crew had a blast making it, but compared to something like the Ocean’s sequels, Burn After Reading actually allows the audience to be in on the fun. The Coen Bros allow for some unlikely casting, most particularly Pitt as an insanely weird fitness trainer (great hair, Brad!). Tilda Swinton plays cold like no one else’s business, and here she feels icier than the queen in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And then there’s George Clooney, who I haven’t liked this much since, well, the Coen Bros’ O Brother, Where Art Thou. His one scene with Pitt is one of the most unexpected and darkly humorous of any movie I’ve seen this year. I don’t know what the filmmaking duo has in store for us next, but I heavily enjoyed this frothy diversion. In less than a year, they’ve proven they can handle both drama and comedy with the greatest of ease. These boys are on a roll.