There’s few filmmakers I admire more than Wes Anderson, whose work is as notable as any other director working today. He’s so unapologetically quirky in his presentation of his unique stories that one can’t help but be swept away by his craftsmanship. Still, I thought he had created his best possible project with Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009, but amazingly, he’s even managed to top that masterpiece with this exemplary film, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) is the owner of The Grand Budapest Hotel, a luxurious hotel that hosts only the most wealthiest clients. But a simple friendship with a lobby boy named Zero (Tony Revolori) soon escalates into a murdered ex-lover (Tilda Swinton), a stolen painting and a lengthy prison sentence. In order to clear Gustave’s name, Zero will discovers new depths of himself, as well as learning who M. Gustave truly is as a person.

Remember that quirky presentation I mentioned Wes Anderson was known for earlier? Well, The Grand Budapest Hotel takes such a presentation and then launches it into the stratosphere. Tons of unique visual gags come and go at a speed that makes any rocketship seem sluggish. But it isn’t just in his ingenious gags that Anderson works magic; in terms of directing, I’ve never seen him do better work than many of the sequences he crafts here.

Now, let me just say this right off the bat: it’s a good thing Johnny Depp passed on playing M. Gustave because there isn’t another human being alive who could play this role as terrifically as Ralph Fiennes can. Here, Fiennes plays a constantly chatty fellow who uses words to mask his fear of the future, a future that’s as uncertain as it ever has been. Tony Revolori is a nice counterbalance to that personality, his subtlety similarly masking much, much more to his character. The entire ensemble cast is astounding really, though I have to give major kudos to Adrien Brody, Edward Norton and Jeff Goldblum for their excellent roles.

Thankfully though, the script doesn’t just become a way to show off all this amazing directing and acting, as Anderson (who also wrote the riveting screenplay) makes sure all of these attributes are in service of a script that reminded me of some of the classic cinematic capers from many decades past. I have no doubt that, years from now, The Grand Budapest Hotel will join many similar lists that include the words “classic” and “cinematic”. Regardless of whether you’re a fan of Wes Anderson previous work or not, I cannot recommend this film high enough, I truly cannot.