The Phoenician Scheme is a Wes Anderson film. Some people will say that is all the review that is required as all his films are the same. That's a pretty reductive view, not to mention ironic when, in an age of movies becoming increasingly uniform, Anderson is one of precious few filmmakers whose work is wholly distinct from the pack. The fact nobody else can make things look and feel the way he does should be a massive compliment, not a knock. He is revisiting familiar themes here but in a slightly more plot focused way (its certainly more accessible than the meta stylings of previous film, Asteroid City) and while there is the usual galaxy of star names in the cast the story is focused mainly on three characters and one central relationship.
Anatole "Zsa-Zsa" Korda (Benicio del Toro) is a wealthy industrialist, enemy of major Western governments and the target of never ending assignation attempts. Determined to see his most ambitious scheme yet through to completion, even in the event of his death, he names his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) his sole heir and tries to convince her to help him revolutionise the infrastructure of the fictional country of Phoenicia. Liesl is a nun in training and wary of working with her father (who boasts of using slaves and famine for profit) but desires to use his vast fortune for good so agrees to get involved on a "trial basis". Determined to sabotage Korda and bring about his downfall, a conglomeration of nations conspire to massively inflate the cost of building materials, leaving his scheme with a huge funding gap and forcing Anatole and Liesl on a journey to meet with their various industrial partners in an effort to convince them to except new terms. Joining them on their trip is Michel Cera's Bjorn, a Norwegian entomologist hired to teach Korda about bugs who becomes an administrative assistant in the plan.
The world building here is some of Anderson's best, with the alternative 50's country of Phoenicia feeling, obvious not real (it's a Wes Anderson movie), but cohesive and charming. Eastern European Art Deco via Roald Dahl. The directors signature immaculate shot composition and symmetry are on full display, this time with a more reserved, cooler colour palette. Inserted into the world are Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston as basketball obsessed industrialists dressed as gym teachers, Riz Ahmed as a desert prince, Benedict Cumberbatch as Anatole's sinister brother and Bill Murray as God, as well as a host of other big names and familiar faces. It's the central trio that are the focal point of the movie though. Del Toro is in almost every shot and brings both gravitas and ladles of pomposity to "Mr 5 Percent" (Thats what he takes from every business deal) that transition into something more sincere as he bonds with his daughter. Cera is a natural fit for Wes's world and drops one of the most fascinating accents of recent years. Threapleton drives the story and her deadpan line delivery is one of the reasons this is one of Anderson's funniest films.
This has a zippier pace than a lot of his work but anyone who has been ground down by Anderson's style is still not going to enjoy what he does here. There is emotional depth but it is, as ever, hidden behind the subtlest of facial expression and broad strokes story themes. If it is style over substance it isn't that the substance is absent, its just that the style slaps you so hard in the face that its hard to hear the substance over the sound of your ears ringing. For those that do enjoy his vibe, this is another treat and reason to celebrate the intricate constructions of a director playing in a sandbox nobody else can get near.
8 baskets sunk from 10 throws
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