The French Dispatch (2021)
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Wes Anderson is known for his bravura tracking shots, and I think this one from The French Dispatch is among his very best. We follow Roebuck Wright, played by Jeffrey Wright, walking through the halls of the police station as he explains “police cooking,” moving from room to room, each space more theatrically different than the last. When I first saw this in theaters, it put an immediate smile on my face and reminded me why Anderson’s films bring so much joy. The moment is funny, playful, and yes, whimsical, but it is also boldly cinematic and, from what I’ve read, technically very difficult to pull off. Interestingly, Wright learned his lines on the day of shooting because Anderson decided the speech should be performed live rather than delivered in voiceover. A few years later, I still consider this one of the most memorable moments of Anderson’s career.
