Anderson’s previous film, Asteroid City, was a gorgeous, warmly nostalgic ode to the American Southwest of the 1950s.
His new movie, The Phoenician Scheme, takes place in the same decade, but it’s a chillier, more globe-trotting affair.
The Phoenician Scheme is a reconciliation story, and so Liesl reluctantly goes along with Korda’s harebrained plan, hoping she can do some good along the way.
Anderson, who wrote the script with Roman Coppola, keeps updating us on how much each character has invested: At times, The Phoenician Scheme feels perilously close to math homework.
The Phoenician Scheme may present itself as a fabulous piece of stylized escapism, but it’s hard to watch it and not think about the oligarchs of today.
Wes Anderson’s ability to create two films set in roughly the same era that look and feel completely different is a testament to the depth of his visual imagination, even though it has become commonplace to refer to a new film as “more of the same.”.
Asteroid City, Anderson’s previous film, was a stunning, heartfelt tribute to the 1950s American Southwest. Though it is set in the same decade, his most recent film, The Phoenician Scheme, is a more spooky and international affair. An outstanding Benicio Del Toro portrays Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda, an outrageously wealthy businessman.
The most recent of Anderson’s impressive scoundrels is Korda, an international man of mystery and titan of industry. In his private jets, he travels the world, destabilizing governments, taking advantage of local workers, and making money, deals, and enemies at every turn.
Korda is now looking to leave a lasting legacy. Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia is the location of the enormous infrastructure project he intends to build. As the eldest of his ten children, Korda chooses to make amends with his estranged daughter Liesl and designate her as his heir and partner in order to accomplish this.
Mia Threapleton does a fantastic job as Liesl, who isn’t sure she wants to be involved. She is a novitiate who despises her father’s unethical business methods after being abandoned in a convent when she was five years old. There are also rumors that Korda killed Liesl’s mother years ago.
Whether or not Korda is a murderer, he fits in well with Anderson’s growing collection of evil fathers, which includes Steve Zissou and Royal Tenenbaum. Liesl grudgingly agrees to Korda’s foolish plan in the hopes of doing some good in the process because the Phoenician Scheme is a tale of reconciliation. However, it won’t be simple.
A significant portion of the hectic, absurd plot centers on Korda’s attempts to enlist the aid of numerous family members and business associates to fund his plan. Each character’s investment is continuously updated by Anderson, who co-wrote the script with Roman Coppola: The Phoenician Scheme occasionally feels dangerously similar to math homework.
But, especially when contrasted with the more intricately layered Asteroid City, it’s not too difficult to follow. The infrastructure agreement essentially serves as a pretext for the director to cast as many of his preferred actors as possible. Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston portray two basketball-mad businessmen. Jeffrey Wright appears as a sea captain and Mathieu Amalric as the owner of a nightclub. In addition, there are other Anderson alumni like Hope Davis, Richard Ayoade, Scarlett Johansson, and Bill Murray.
That being said, the first-timers leave the biggest impressions. Michael Cera plays the charming role of Bjorn, a nerdy Norwegian entomologist, while Riz Ahmed portrays a charming Phoenician prince. Threapleton gives the most poignant performance. The French icon Anna Karina, who gave one of the greatest nun performances ever in Jacques Rivette’s 1966 masterpiece La Religieuse, has the radiant self-possession of her Liesl.
Though spirituality, morality, and grace are common themes in Anderson’s films, he rarely addresses religion as directly as he does in this one. The father-daughter bond can be seen as a metaphor for God and wealth, as Korda’s never-ending quest for wealth repeatedly clashes with Liesl’s fervent belief in social justice and religion.
Even though the Phoenician Scheme is a fantastic work of stylized escape, it’s difficult to watch it without thinking about today’s oligarchs. Although Anderson is known for his whimsical style, this film explores the actual caprices of tycoons. The film features his trademark symmetrical compositions, rich textures, and exquisite details, but the backdrops—a wealthy man’s fortress, a partially constructed railroad tunnel, and an upscale but dim nightclub—have an unwelcoming coldness. It seems like we are witnessing the emptiness of excessive wealth.
This is, in some respects, one of Anderson’s more violent, angrier, and darker films. A bomb meant for Korda, the victim of several assassination attempts, blows a man in half in one of the first scenes we see. Korda claims, “Myself, I feel very safe,” whenever he is in danger, which is hardly comforting to those around him.
