Bottle Rocket (1993) Dir: Wes Anderson

When I recently visited the Wes Anderson Archives exhibition at The Design Museum in London, I had the opportunity to see a lot of the iconic filmmaker's most beloved props, costumes, notes, and more, but something I wasn't expecting, and was exceedingly grateful for, was the opportunity to watch one of his early works; this 1993 short film version of 'Bottle Rocket', which Anderson would remake as a feature film three years later.

I could really see and hear the early signs of Anderson's distinctive style already coming through, even in the sub-fifteen-minute runtime. The beginnings of the oh-so-familiar cinematography were just about visible, but were very much still in their infancy - it will come as no surprise that this film far more reflects the earlier feature films of his career. The music stood out a lot too - it was impressive that Anderson managed to cram so much into such a short film.

The narrative was very basic, and arguably the weakest aspect of the film. It seemed to be more about providing a base for the actors to work off of. And, in fairness, it worked well enough. A very young Owen Wilson, who helped write the film, was an enjoyable presence in the film's main role, and, much like I talked about with Anderson's directing style, it was very clear to see the early signs of Wilson's talents coming through. I also enjoyed the performance of his brother; Luke Wilson, who solid in his own right. It helped that the two men are related, but they had a very natural degree of chemistry.

Overall, I thought this was a very respectable short film from a man at the start of what would become one of the most acclaimed filmmaking careers in cinema history. Anderson and the Wilson brothers really have been linked from the start, and the relationship has always been a fruitful one - this early collaboration was a signal flare for that very notion, and its no surprise that Owen in particular has worked with Anderson several times in the years since.