Willem Dafoe hallucination. The cameo was suggested by Dafoe, comparing it to the ghost of Hamlet's father visiting his son to ask him to avenge his death. Dafoe was next seen in the comedy-drama "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004), his first of three films with director Wes Anderson. He played the "hilariously doltish" German first mate of a research vessel owned by the eponymous lead character, who is played by Bill Murray. Dafoe then had a small role as a tabloid magazine editor in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004), a biographical film about Howard Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Also in
The Darjeeling Limited film "is unstintingly fussy, vain and self-regarding. But it is also a treasure: an odd, flawed, but nonetheless beautifully handmade object as apt to win affection as to provoke annoyance. You might say that it has sentimental value." Timothy Knight of Reel.com gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and said "Although "The Darjeeling Limited" pales in comparison to Anderson's best film, "Rushmore" (1998), it's still a vast improvement over his last, and worst film, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004)." Nathan Lee of "The Village Voice" wrote "A companion piece to "Tenenbaums" more than a step in