The Darjeeling Limited

Another bold film from the auteur Wes Anderson. The part people love and loathe about Wes Anderson is that you're sure what to expect in his films before even going. He disregards any and every directing tool. Even still, ignoring all laws of film, he manages to churn out a "rare masterpiece" nearly every time. His latest, The Darjeeling Limited, is no exception, and is his most flawless to date.

In Darjeeling, you see a side of Wes you hadn't seen before, he literally trusts his loyal following to have already seen the prelude of a short film (Hotel Chevalier) and to understand the main players he includes in his productions (Bill Murray). And assuming that his followers watch these, Darjeeling continues as a story without interruption. The best part of it all is that should a young cinephile two, say three decades down the road, decide to pick up this Wes Anderson film, it will still make complete sense dispite missing a part of the puzzle (Chevalier).

Darjeeling Limited begins as Peter Whitman (Adrien Brody) runs along other hopeful passengers of the said Indian train (albeit faster) and after throwing his luggage on board, climbs on to join his brothers Jack (Jason Schwartzman, who also adds his first writing credit to his resume) and Francis (Owen Wilson) on a "Spiritual Journey" conceived by the latter after a year of their absence following their father's death. In the following days/weeks we follow the brother's on the excursion with a destination only Francis is aware of.

Adrien Brody serves as the best addition to Wes Anderson's list of players since Jason Schwartzman, considering how much he had to prove coming in with a backdrop in strictly dramatic films. Jason Schwartzman returns in a more mature character since Rushmore, and Wilson as his most neurotic yet. Even when it seems that Anderson is losing his focus in the plot (as he has in the past) assume that he is always building the story in it's entirety.

On every level in The Darjeeling Limited you will find Anderson at his best here, with equal ammounts comedy, drama and strict storytelling. As usual, if you're not a fan of his past films you may find the same here, but it's not a guarantee I'll make if only because it seems that this is a film that may appeal to a broader audience, and possibly widen that cult appeal that's been constantly growing since Bottle Rocket.