From his audacious debut Bottle Rocket to the sparkling Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson has created a singular body of work and stands aloof within the pantheon of contemporary American cinema. He creates fabulist family dramas filled with labyrinthine plots, outrageously ornate production design and casts that only Woody Allen can dream of, and his latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel is another bespoke masterpiece.

Ralph Fiennes plays Gustave H, the legendary concierge of the titular hotel, and newcomer Tony Revolori plays Zero Revolori, his young friend and sidekick. Together they become embroiled in a plot revolving around a priceless Renaissance painting and a family fortune.

Set between the wars, against the backdrop of a dramatically changing continent, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a sumptuous Anderson extravaganza. Aided by such regulars as Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, designer Adam Stockhausen and composer Alexandre Desplat, his latest cinematic amuse bouche is rich in detail and epic in scale, suffused with the detached dry wit that is Anderson’s trademark.

Gráinne Humphreys
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival