Page One: “Burn After Reading” (2008)

Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

The movie version of the opening:

As always, the movie mimics exactly what’s on the page of a Coen brothers’ script. They know exactly what they want with every scene down to the nth degree. Check out this video:

You may read the screenplay here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.