The Darjeeling Limited
Review by Parker Mott
Directed by Wes Anderson
Produced by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola and Scott Rudin
Starring:
Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Scwartzman
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Review:
Wes Anderson goes from ship to train in Darjeeling Limited, not totally original film for Anderson, but it isn't limited in its chemistry, themes, and symbols. The biggest problem with Darjeeling is that it falls where its predecessors fell, but, on the other hand, it excels where its predecessors failed.
The general plot is about three brothers, played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Scwartzman, who try to bond on a spiritual journey across India. Throughout their visit in India, they travel on a train called The Darjeeling Limited, hence the movie’s name. This train is like no train you have ever been on; it is full of colourful characters, some comparable to those we saw in The Life Aquatic. Besides getting in touch with each other's spirits, the brothers' main goal is to see their mama, played by Anjelica Houston.
What is innovative and new to Darjeeling is Anderson's ability to incorporate very clever symbols that don't result in a, "Spare me!" statement. Admittedly, though Life Aquatic was enjoyable, its ending had a strong melodramatic feel that made you want to puke up some salt water. Here, the metaphors and symbols are effective and most importantly, work. Also, the soundtrack is superb, with fantastic tunes from The Kinks that match perfectly with slow-motion shots that somehow remain powerful. Owen Wilson gives one of his better performances as the enthusiastic and over-prepared brother who works desperately hard to achieve peace with his brothers.
However, Darjeeling still fails, or in a more generous way, falls short in a few departments where his other film succeeded. Firstly, though the brother's have excellent chemistry, Adrien Brody, though an Oscar winner, acts a bit over-the-top and has a slightly more tacky approach as one of the brothers. Also, despite Darjeeling's moments of hilariousness, the humour is dispersed and less obvious, which results in only sections of the audience laughing, instead of the whole. In short, Anderson seems to repeat a lot of what he has done before but still manages to have it pay off this time around.
Despite these minor issues, Darjeeling still is a great film. It's well directed, Anderson sets up very good shots that capture the aura of India. In addition, he includes, throughout this plot, many harrowing, but also, many hilarious events that'll hit you where it counts. However, the biggest issue that leaves a tear in my eye is the fact that the ten minute prologue from iTunes that explains the end of Darjeeling, is only available in the USA. Rats!
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