The Darjeeling Limited

Colorful and kinetic seriocomedy... Wes Anderson breaks no new ground thematically, picture comes closer to "The Royal Tenenbaums" than "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," but without achieving the poignance of "Rushmore"... Here, as in his two prior outings, Anderson's arch, highly artificial style gets in the way of character and emotional development, rendering picture piquant rather than profound...

Bold, original and ambitious, this is personal filmmaking of a rare vintage. The Darjeeling Limited looks, sounds, feels like no other Hollywood film you’ll see this year. Equally, though, it’s Anderson’s most sincere and emotionally revealing work yet. There’s never been a better time to get on board with his unique brand of cinema...

The dumb rap against the gifted Wes Anderson is that his comedies (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic) all hit on similar themes of broken dreams and shattered families. Damn him. And damn Hitchcock for his obsession with suspense. And what's with Scorsese and violence? My point is, an artist can spend a satisfying lifetime developing personal themes and deepening their resonance. Sure, they can trip up (see The Life Aquatic). But the Texas-born Anderson, 38, has managed to absorb a vast number of influences, from J.D. Salinger to Francois Truffaut, and forge a style all his own....

The Darjeeling Limited is less whimsical and absurd, and more realistic and emotional than previous Anderson works, but it isn't a great leap forward for the director either. The Darjeeling Limited lacks the energy of his earlier works, and while there are plenty of chuckles to be had and another fabulous retro rock soundtrack to lap up, it doesn't dispel that feeling you've seen many elements of this story before...

The Darjeeling Limited has everything you could possible hope for in a film - the perfect cast, perfectly formed unusual characters with a unquestionable chemistry, beautifully shot in sumptuous exotic locations, quirky inspired scripting and story, and a kick-arse soundtrack from The Kinks, Peter Sarstedt and the Stones.

Brilliant...

As usual, the camera work is precise, the sets outrageous and the resolution inconclusive but warmly satisfying. If you were a fan of The Royal Tenenbaums, you'll love this. And if you're new to Wes Anderson, this rich and thoughtful film would make a fine place to start...

The script, cowritten by Anderson, Schwartzman and Roman Coppola (who is Francis Ford Coppola's son and Schwartzman's cousin) can be a little pretentious at times, and it is a little too easy that the trio have no money issues whatsoever, but Anderson fans will love this addition to the quirky comedy canon...