Another odd-ball entry into the eclectic filmography of writer/director Wes Anderson. Not one of his best, but still fun and interesting.

Writing: Anderson has a style pretty much distinct to himself, which is something of an accomplishment. As much as Napoleon Dynamite was loved by all, my primary reaction to seeing it was that the writer/director was a Wes Anderson wannabe. His stories are rarely all that complicated or grounded in reality, frankly. He’s all about quirky characters in quirky situations, most typically played with as much a deadpanned straightforwardness as possible. Oft-imitated, rarely matched, one knows that they are in for a bizarre film when they go to see one of his. This is no exception.

Production: Like his approach to character, Anderson films his movies very plainly, with odd flourishes of style or gimmick. Amidst plenty of ordinary cinematography, he’ll sneak in a DePalma styled tracking shot not only between rooms, but locations and stories. You’ll either like it or you won’t, and that will be the same separation between audiences who like his films and those who don’t. I’m one who does, and you just learn to roll with it. Filmed with excellent anamorphic scope, the sprawling landscapes (and the train itself) are well represented on screen. Other aspects like sound take a minimalist approach. Costumes get to have a lot of locale specific fun (I wonder where the line blurs between extras wearing their own clothes and actors that are part of the production).

Cast: As with all of Anderson’s films, the most important and best part of the film is the cast. Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are in pretty much every movie he does, and are good friends of his. They do an excellent job in 2 of the three lead roles of the brothers. Adrien Brody joins them as an excellent addition for the third brother. Other Anderson favorites like Angelica Huston round out the cast. Even Bill Murray pops in for a great cameo. Then there’s Natalie Portman, who plays the girlfriend of Schwartzman’s character, who barely appears in Darjeeling Limited. Portman does, however, appear in the short film Hotel Chevalier, which acts as a prologue to Darjeeling Limited (it played before the movie starts). It’s an odd little short film of Schwartzman and Portman’s characters in a Parisian hotel room shortly before he departs for the trip on the Darjeeling Limited. And appearing in this short film is exactly what Portman does. Nude even. Definitely a change for the typically reserved actress (well, with notable exception to the movie Closer).

Music: Anderson employs a very ethnic approach to the music, mostly using material from old Bollywood films. It works, but is definitely something that I wouldn’t listen to on its own. Well used in the movie, though.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 1:45 am and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.