Wes Anderson's latest film is almost exactly like his others, but at this point, that's not a bad thing. All the classic Anderson elements are here. Estranged family relations, sibling rivalries, slow motion, strange props and witty, snappy dialogue. Although this film can't touch the Anderson masterpieces (Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums) it is a solid addition to an already very impressive filmography for Anderson. To me, Wes's previous film, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, felt a bit empty. I didn't feel for the characters very much and the film tailed off at the end. The Darjeeling Limited does not fall victim to any of these problems. The film's three main characters are all are genuinely interesting and they will keep you entertained for the duration of the film. A few gags are repeated throughout the film and yet they still bring the laughs every time. One of my favorite things about the movie is all the great supporting characters. Chief among them is the "manager" of the train, pictured above. The film also gets an early cameo from Bill Murray which is good for a laugh or two. Like all of his previous films, Wes relies less on the actual story and more on the actual film making to make the movie enjoyable. However, this doesn't mean the movie didn't have heart because that's certainly not the case. A scene at a native village intertwined with a flashback is especially moving. The ending is the only thing I wasn't too high on. It kinda seems like they couldn't figure out how to end it and left it a bit too ambiguous. I would have liked to have seen at least a little closure. Regardless, the flaws of this film are far outweighed by it's merits. I think big time Wes fans like myself will love this film while others who are less keen on the director may not care for it as much. But in my eyes it's worth of being next to No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood as a top film of 2007.
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