大象传媒

Three brothers embark on a railway journey through India in Wes Anderson's latest portrait of a dysfunctional family. The Darjeeling Limited is the train that carries them closer to reconciliation after a year of not speaking, but it's the rapport between Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody that really drives the story. The plot is otherwise slight; still those who relished Anderson's candy-coloured bittersweet style in The Life Aquatic should enjoy the trip.

Anderson begins with a short film, Hotel Chevalier, introducing Jack, aka Jason Schwartzman in his usual angst-ridden geek guise. It's an amusing albeit redundant vignette focussed on the growing rift with his girlfriend (Natalie Portman). But the focus draws away from Jack when eldest brother Francis (Owen) invites him to India. Badly injured after a road crash, Francis has decided to embrace life in a meticulously timetabled railway journey. That aggravates Peter (Brody) who only tags along to avoid the drama of impending fatherhood.

"SUBTLE WIT AND POIGNANCY"

Despite their loosely sketched back stories, Anderson struggles to justify why Peter and Jack so readily indulge their brother's whims. And unlike The Life Aquatic, the point of the expedition isn't properly defined. Of course, as the brothers come to realise, it's all about the journey not the destination, and there are plenty of entertaining diversions along the route. A series of fun but unfortunate events includes a stolen loafer, an escaped cobra and the reckless use of pepper spray. As usual Anderson opts for equal parts comedy and tragedy, meaning less belly laughs and more gentle snorts of appreciation as the tension between Francis and Peter builds. Brody is easy to feel for with his hangdog charm and Wilson's turn as Francis approaches the subtle wit and poignancy of his debut role in Anderson's Bottle Rocket. It may be a bumpy ride, but the film will satisfy those with a spirit of adventure.

The Darjeeling Limited is out in the UK on 23rd November 2007.