The Phoenician Scheme Review
Wes Anderson delivers yet another extremely Wes Anderson joint, but while those who love the auteur will surely enjoy it, it remains a little less accessible than some of his better known and appreciated work.
International criminal and businessman, ‘Mr 5%’, Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) is not just facing increasingly consistent assassination attempts from unknown adversaries - he’s also become the target of a group of government agents from around the world looking to disrupt his activities. Or more specifically, disrupt his new risky venture, The Phoenician Scheme. Their meddling causes a huge gap in financing, and Korda - his daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) and tutor Bjorn (Michael Cera) in tow - must travel to all of his investors to convince them to help cover the shortfall and keep the scheme alive.
The Phoenician Scheme has all the hallmarks of a Wes Anderson film. It’s inevitably quirky, exceedingly symmetrical, and jam packed with a hugely famous cast, all with a plot and dialogue that favours style over substance.
There are moments that are really good. The basketball game between Zsa-zsa, Riz Ahmed’s Prince Farouk, Tom Hanks’ Leland and Bryan Cranston’s Reagan, is a stroke of genius. Moments of fun and levity between Liesl and Bjorn are also wonderful, and the overall vibe is pretty great.
And perhaps that’s where this movie is best placed. If you are a Wes Anderson fan - if you love his style, and are just happy to spend an hour and a bit just swimming in his vibe and aesthetic, then this is a more than enjoyable time in the cinema; it’s a blast. It is full of action, humour and an inescapable sense of whimsy.
But if you aren’t one of the indoctrinated, this isn’t the one that’s going to change it. Sure, it’s more accessible and cohesive than recent Asteroid City, but it doesn’t come close to the heights of The Grand Budapest Hotel. And a lot of that is probably just down to the fact that the story isn’t there. It doesn’t have the depth and heart of Budapest, nor does it have the realism of something like The Darjeeling Limited, or the clear messaging of The French Dispatch. This feels a little undercooked, and while the style there, it isn’t matched by the substance.
