The Darjeeling Limited - 2007 * * * * *

'Do you think we would be friends if we weren't related?'

I know there was a lot of talk about the symbolism of this movie when it was released and people spent ages trying to work out what director Wes Anderson was trying to get at but I still think that even if you don't understand the film on a deep level you can still enjoy it as a sharp comedy with some good acting. Adrien Brody grows in my good books with every film I see him in and I have always liked Owen Wilson.

Three brothers, Francis Peter and Jack who haven't seen each other in over a year meet on a train bound for India where Francis hopes that they will travel to a secluded monastary to meet up with their mother. As none of them trust each other Francis, (Wilson) decides to steal their passports so that they can't leave the train until they have become closer. What follows is a series of humorous events involving pepper spray, old belts and deadly snakes where the brothers begin to learn more about each other than they ever thought or hoped that they would. The whole film is slightly surreal and the symbolism can occasionally get in the way of the enjoyment of the jokes, but on the whole it really delivers. There are also some very moving moments that almost made me cry and the whole thing wrapped up really nicely.