Be sure not to miss The Darjeeling Limited

The Darjeeling Limited

Rated R for: language
Running Time: 1 hr, 31 min
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman

Rating: Three stars (out of four)

In select theaters now



Wes Anderson is a director whose movies you either love or hate.

The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou...these are strange, strange movies that dare to move on the fringe of the mainstream. You either dig Wes Anderson's style, or you don't. For the most part.

See, I actually didn't care for Royal all that much (though I suspect a second viewing might improve my opinion), Bottle Rocket was pretty good, but nothing spectacular, and I loved Life Aquatic. So, ok, I just disproved my own rule. Or, perhaps, I'm the exception that proves it.

Anyway, my point is, his movies are the type that will leave some scratching their heads, wondering what they just saw.

In The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson will probably segregate fewer viewers than any of his previous films. It definitely has that signature Wes Anderson style, but it's far more subdued here, and, more importantly, the characters and plot are much more accessible. It's still weird, though. It wouldn't be an Anderson picture without that particular element.

Still, this is a more mature Anderson than we've seen before. This is an Anderson who is finally mastering his craft, bringing his filmmaking to a whole new level. And I love him for it.

The movie involves three brothers: Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman), who have all grown apart after their father's death. In fact, when we catch up with them, they haven't spoken to one another in a year.

Francis has brought them altogether in India, hoping that a trip on the train The Darjeeling Limited will bring them closer together, so they can be family once again.

They all bring their metaphorical (and physical, for that matter) baggage with them.

Francis narrowly escaped a horrific motorcycle accident with his life, and is trying to make the best of his second chance. Peter is seriously freaked out and having second thoughts as he approaches the birth of his first child (something he certainly didn't have planned for his life.) And Jack is still heartbroken over a recent breakup.



These are three guys who couldn't be more different from each other. Yet, as the trip moves on, you start to watch them bond, and work through their individual journeys while they move along their collective travel.

Of course, more happens plotwise, but I don't want to give too much away. Besides, what happens in the story is secondary to these characters. After all is said and done, the film is, at its heart, a character study, and you couldn't find three actors better suited for the job than these.

All acting is top notch here, but my personal favorite is Adrien Brody as Peter. Everything about his performance is captured in his motions, in the way he carries himself, not so much by dialogue. He's haunted, and there's not a moment he's on the screen that we don't see it in his eyes. It's a subtle performance, as are the performances of the other two main performers, and that is worth the price of admission alone.

And it's honest. Really honest. Sometimes brutally so. This is the story of three damaged people, three brothers who have grown apart but don't realize just how much they need each other.

I'll be totally honest here and say I'm not quite sure how much I enjoyed The Darjeeling Limited. Don't get me wrong- I'm sure I liked it, just not quite sure how much just yet. I get the feeling this is one of those films that I really need to see more than once to let it grow on me. It's a lot to take in on one viewing.

That being said, I can honestly say that, objectively, The Darjeeling Limited is a damn good film. I can't heap enough praise on it for the way it's beautifully shot and directed. You really feel like you've been transported to India. This doesn't feel like some fake Hollywood backlot or green screen hackery. This is the real deal.

Credit that to Anderson, whose filmmaking really stands out here. This is so beautifully done, put together so well, that it was almost distracting at times.

The Darjeeling Limited is a small film. This is a character study and a subtle story about family, the bonds of brotherhood, and how the past can hover over and haunt us. It's not for everyone, but if you know what you're getting into going in, there's a much better chance that you'll walk away having fully appreciated it.

Oh, and one other thing- there is a short film, entitled Hotel Chevalier, which is a prologue to the main film and gives some very important background on Schwartzman's character. When I saw the screening tonight, they showed it before the movie, but I'm not sure if they are going to be doing this when the film starts opening wide.

It is available through the web, and I would highly, highly recommend tracking it down before seeing Darjeeling. If they don't end up showing the short before the film in theaters, you'll be glad you took a few minutes to watch it on the web beforehand. There are a few moments in the film that won't make any sense without watching it.