Grand in many ways, especially in sets and art direction, also very imaginative; misses ten stars by a small, small margin

Rating: 9/10 (8 April 2014)

In the country of Zubrowka, on the continent of Europe, a former lobby boy at the Grand Budapest Hotel, Zero (F. Murray Abraham as an older man, Tony Revolori as a young man) is telling his story to a famous writer (Jude Law and Tom Wilkinson at various ages). This inn, now fallen on hard times, was once a lavishly beautiful place of accommodation for the wealthy and famous. In truth, Zero's former boss at the establishment, Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) was one of the primary reasons for the GB's phenomenal success. This meticulous man courted the rich ladies and gents and met their every needs. But, perhaps, he did his job too well. One unhappy day, the supremely rich Madame D (Tilda Swinton) dies and leaves a valuable painting to M. Gustave. This sets off a ferocious row for the lady's family, especially for her eldest, nasty Dimitri (Adrien Brody). As M. Gustave and Zero "lifted" the painting after the funeral, Dimitri send his henchman, Joplin (Willen Dafoe) after anybody who stands in the way of the painting's recovery, including their loyal lawyer (Jeff Goldblum). M. Gustave is even thrown in prison for awhile but makes just the right sort of pals inside, ones who can spring him out with their smarts and bravado (including Harvey Keitel). But, even after this happenstance, M Gustave and Zero are chased, up mountains, through fields and down dark alleys. Helping them is Zero's girlfriend, Agatha (Saorsie Ronan), and a large group of fellow hotel workers. Could there even be a new will that might cut Dimitri out completely? Who will triumph in the end? This grand and amazing film is a treasure for those who long for films of imagination, cleverness, and courage. To be honest, GBH falls a bit short of ten stars but certainly merits nine. To begin, its scale is incredible, with a dream cast and a mountainous setting that is breathtaking. Among the cast, its hard to pick favorites, but Fiennes, Goldblum, Keitel, Brody and Dafoe were most impressive to me, as well as the youngster, Revolori. One could add that they had the most "showy" roles, while the rest did very well indeed in their quieter parts. Also, the art direction, costumes, script, story, and frenetic direction also score huge points for dazzle, even though they sometimes fall a wee whisker short. All in all, how can anyone who loves film really resist the chance to see this one? They don't make em like this much anymore!