Shadows on the Wall | The Phoenician Scheme

The Phoenician Scheme

dir-scr Wes Anderson
prd Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, John Peet, Steven Rales
with Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, F Murray Abraham, Bill Murray
release UK 23.May.25,
US 30.May.25
25/Germany Focus 1h41

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Mixing wacky comedy with a dysfunctional family dynamic, Wes Anderson takes the audience on another visually dazzling journey accompanied by a witty all-star cast. The story meanders a bit, which makes it somewhat tricky to get involved with anything that's happening, but gorgeously designed scenes are packed with vivid characters, outrageous action and hilarious details. And the superb Benicio Del Toro's morality-stretching businessman offers some knowing present-day parallels.

In 1950, global entrepreneur Zsa-zsa Korda (Del Toro) survives yet another assassination attempt. So he names his daughter Liesl (Threapleton) heir. As a nun, she's dubious about his shady practices, but accompanies him as he tries to salvage his epic plan to transform Phoenicia's transport and industry. Accompanied by new assistant Bjorn (Cera), they visit various figures who might help plug a funding hole, including a prince (Ahmed), two shrewd Americans (Hanks and Cranston), a Frenchman (Amalric), a terrorist (Ayoade) and a ship captain (Wright). Korda even proposes marriage to his successful second-cousin Hilda (Johansson).

Working against him is a secret cabal of bureaucrats led by Excalibur (Friend), while most of the darker questions that haunt Korda and Liesl lead directly to his notorious half-brother Nubar (Cumberbatch). The film moves at a brisk pace, with dense dialog that playfully touches on deeper themes without dwelling on them. There are also several somewhat awkward cutaways to a stylised black-and-white afterlife, triggered by Korda's near-death experiences, in which he faces God himself (Murray).

At the centre of the film is an intriguing collision of faith and ethics, which provokes this prickly father-daughter relationship. Del Toro is likeably offhanded as a man who had his own grim upbringing and hasn't a clue what to do with his nine sons and extremely single-minded daughter. Threapleton gives Liesl a wonderfully sharp attitude as she challenges her father about his dodgy dealings. Their connection is wonderfully messy, giving the film its heart while leaving more complex currents running underneath the surface nuttiness.

Around this, Anderson gives each of the extraordinary bit players strong moments all their own, including wildly satirical set-pieces, moments of sudden violence and lots of deeply repressed emotion. Anderson's films always look spectacular, so there's a lot of fun to be had simply looking at the fabulous people, sets and costumes, lovingly photographed by Bruno Delbonnel. And underlying ideas about trusting and being trustworthy add something we can just about grab onto.

themes, language, violence 29.May.25

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