The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Dir: Wes Anderson

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When people think of Wes Anderson, there is usually one film that people name first, and its this 2014 comedy adventure, which is probably considered to be peak Anderson, in style and quality, for the majority of people. It's certainly the most famous example of his work, with the only potential challenger being his adaptation of 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'. It had been a number of years since my last stay at the hotel, and an imminent visit to a Wes Anderson exhibition proved to be the only motivation I needed.

In my opinion, this is the most complete looking Anderson film to-date. It certainly has the most enjoyable cinematography of any film in his filmography, at least in my opinion. The creative use of colour and symmetry makes this such a visually striking film, and one that you just can't forget. I also love that Anderson features so many unique miniatures and props, which gives it such an uncanny look. This being the peak of Anderson's odd and particular style has, perhaps, been a slight detriment to his later films, but it doesn't take away from how gorgeous this one is.

The narrative has some of the best, most emotional, and most meaningful story arcs from Anderson to-date. Something I think that Wes Anderson almost always does well, is to create earnest-feeling characters and stories, and this is full of both. I also really like how the director was able to infuse urgency in his film when necessary, which makes the second half of the film very engaging, without ever feeling like its too rushed.

Ralph Fiennes does not technically play the main character in this film, but he absolutely steals the spotlight in every way imaginable. This is, in my opinion, his most enjoyable performance ever, and certainly the one I think about the most. The actual protagonist is played by Tony Revolori, and whilst his performance is by no means as memorable as that of Fiennes, it is still an extremely enjoyable and commendable one. He has an innocence to his acting which really makes this sweet and hardworking young protagonist very easy to like.

The standouts from the hugely star-studded supporting cast were clearly, to my mind at least, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, and Willem Dafoe, whilst the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, and Jason Schwartzman, all contributed some very enjoyable appearances in their own rights.

Overall, I think this is without question one of Wes Anderson's best films, and I can understand why many would call it his very best. For me, it's top three on a bad day, and, in all likelihood, number one or two on the list. It was a pleasure to rewatch this film after such a long time, but it does make me a little sad that the iconic filmmaker has never quite been able to reach this level since. I hope he can prove me wrong with his next feature.