When you think of Wes Anderson, dysfunctional families, painterly sets and hapless criminals will likely come to mind. The director has returned to his heist movie roots with The Phoenician Scheme, with all of the familiar elements that make for a whimsical Andersonian story and his sharpest ensemble cast to date.
★★★★☆
Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) is one of the richest men on Earth, a deceptive businessman on the verge of being assassinated at any second. Sister Leil (Mia Threapleton), his estranged daughter and a novice nun, is determined to get justice for her murdered mother. The two are brought back into each other’s lives as Korda needs to collect funds for his unfinished railway track, and one of the people on his itinerary might be Leil’s mother’s murderer. They both hit the road, which naturally invites issues along the way. Bjorn (Michael Cera), a Norwegian insect tutor, joins them on the trip, and the trio encounter the usual Anderson antics. These include, but are not limited to, a basketball-playing prince, a sham marriage and gifted hand grenades.
Anderson is known for his excellent ensemble casts, even going as far back as The Royal Tenenbaums, yet here he has surpassed himself. Del Toro makes for a wonderful lead, with just enough mystery and deadpan delivery to make you believe he’s been an Anderson mainstay for decades. Other new faces include Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Richard Ayoade and Benedict Cumberbatch (if you exclude the ‘Roald Dahl’ shorts), who all deliver exceptional performances—especially Threapleton and Cera who, similarly to Del Toro, are natural fits for the Anderson family, bringing just the right comedic tone to balance out the drama.
Korda goes on a spiritual journey, learning to omit his various evils. Throughout his adventures, Korda has multiple near-death experiences wherein he sees the afterlife briefly. Herein lies the emotional core of The Phoenician Scheme, the immoral magnate going on a spiritual journey to better himself, with enough room for interpretation that Korda’s morality can be understood differently from person to person. These sequences provide a glimpse into the afterlife, cutting away quickly as Korda comes back. We see him on trial, encountering deceased relatives and even meeting God. These snippets of the afterlife provide a concrete look at Korda’s spiritual growth, but as they are short scenes, it allows for the audience’s imagination of the afterlife to take over.
However, this battle with morality and the afterlife is slightly at odds with the tightly structured plot that sees Korda visit a series of business partners as he seeks the absent funds. These encounters reveal little of the character’s growth until the film’s closure, making for a lukewarm experience until the final ten minutes. So, as wonderful as it is that the audience is given room to imagine Korda’s inner world as he processes what he sees in the afterlife, it also places a lot of responsibility on the viewer. Anderson has long been critiqued for his apparent style over substance approach, and here it is a more credible complaint as he explores these big questions, yet the story doesn’t have the emotional vitality to create a clear message.
For the first time in an Anderson live-action feature, Robert D. Yeoman is not the cinematographer; instead, Bruno Delbonnel, of Amelie fame, takes on the role. Scepticism about a new cinematographer entering the meticulous world of Wes is natural, however, Delbonnel’s work is as stunning as ever. If anything, his fresh eyes allowed for the visual experimentation seen in The French Dispatch and Asteroid City to evolve. Musically, Alexandre Desplat retained his long-time role as the composer of Anderson’s scores. However, his usual light, fast scores that dazzle in the background become almost angry here, a pleasant change of pace that matches Korda’s internal conflicts.
Beneath this beauty, The Phonecian Scheme is the most overtly political Anderson film to date. Korda’s deception and abuse of his wealth are criticised throughout, and it is hard not to relate this character to the real billionaires of our modern world as he talks of creating famine and using slave labour. So perhaps, the emotional distance created here is a product of the lead character’s own flaws and failures.
The Verdict
The Phoenician Scheme is exactly what you want out of a Wes Anderson film. It is charming, witty and gorgeous to look at. It doesn’t have the same thrills as earlier fan favourites, but it’s still worth seeing simply to enjoy Michael Cera’s Anderson debut.
Words by Isaac Minah
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