The Grand Budapest Hotel

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (15)

D: Wes Anderson

Fox Searchlight/American Imperical/Indian Paintbrush/TSG (Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales & Jeremy Dawson)

USA/UK/Germany 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 2014

100 mins

Comedy

W: Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness

DP: Robert Yeoman

Ed: Barney Pilling

Mus: Alexandre Desplat

PD: Adam Stockhausen

Cos: Milena Canonero

Ralph Fiennes (M. Gustave), F. Murray Abraham (Mr. Moustafa), Mathieu Almaric (Serge), Adrien Brody (Dmitri), Willem Dafoe (Jopling), Jeff Goldblum (Kovacs), Harvey Keitel (Ludwig), Jude Law (Young Writer), Bill Murray (Ivan), Edward Norton (Henckels), Saoirse Ronan (Agatha), Jason Schwartzman (Jean), Léa Seadoux (Clotilde), Tilda Swinton (Madame D.), Tom Wilkinson (Author), Owen Wilson (Chuck), Tony Revolori (Zero)

The style and quirkiness that writer-director Wes Anderson brings to his films is equally as likely to infuriate as much as it will entertain and amuse.

Set in a world within a world, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a rundown, ramshackle hovel in the (fictional) Republic of Zubrowka, where two of its guests reminisce of a time when it was luxuriant palace of rich colour under the management of concierge, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes).

A flashback takes us into that time, in-between the First and Second World Wars, and the misadventures of the legendary concierge and his loyal lobby boy, Zero Moustafa.

Bequeathed a priceless painting in the will of an elderly noblewoman who Gustave occasionally romanced, he finds himself framed by the members of her greedy family for her murder. Wrongfully imprisoned, Gustave uses the help of his friend to stage a breakout, clear his name, and discover the identity of those who framed him.

Wes Anderson paints a rich tapestry of colourful characters, with production design, costumes and makeup which compliment the huge ensemble. If you're not a fan of the director's other works, it's probably best to skip this, but you'd be missing out on a quality piece of artistic filmmaking. This is much more than a series of artful pictures though, with its zingy dialogue and brilliant comic timing, it's 100 minutes of sheer hilarity.

8/10