"Burn After Reading" *** (out of four): With a stellar cast but uneven pacing and tone, "Burn" is an imperfect but satisfying turn from the Coen Brothers.

As we've learned all too well over the past few years, intelligence is very hard to come by in Washington. In Joel and Ethan Coen's "Burn After Reading", a case of political intrigue in the nation's capital is complicated by some profoundly dim people. The film is a return of sorts to the Coens' penchant for slapstick and gunplay. Both goofy and dark, "Burn" lies somewhere between the violence of the Coens' "Fargo" and the oddball quirkiness of "The Big Lebowski".

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