The Phoenician Scheme

"I've appointed you sole heir to my estate, which you may come into sooner rather than later”

Zany, kooky and aesthetically immaculate, The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson’s most character driven film in a while with a fantastic and memorable leading trio of Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera in a crime caper that isn’t his strongest story, but is still a symmetrically satisfying time. 

Discussion Points:

I’ve always been a fan of Wes Anderson - his darling little idiosyncratic films full of symmetry, pastels and dry delivery have always charmed me and made me chuckle. After some more sprawling ensembles recently that have been more introspective and esoteric, The Phoenician Scheme is a refreshing return to a smaller scale caper that’s more character driven but still retains some philosophical reflections. Benicio del Toro’s Zsa-zsa Korda is an instant icon in Anderson’s catalogue - a morally bankrupt businessman and swindler who tampers with all his dealings to skim 5% for his own pocket. He’s emotionally distant from his 9 sons and 1 daughter and has more enemies than he can count. But after another attempted assassination, Korda begins to sense his time is running out and decides to onboard his noviciate daughter Liesl into his world. Mia Threapleton is absolutely incredible as she dryly rebukes her father’s sins and challenges him from her moral religious values. And then there’s the perfect addition of Michael Cerq - an actor who has somehow never been in an Anderson film despite being an obvious perfect fit - as the scene-stealing Bjorn. The rest of the ensemble flesh out the broader Phoenician scheme and it’s a delight to see Anderson’s modular designs as always. Sadly, I wasn’t as captivated by the titular scheme as much as I was invested in the father-daughter relationship and the films religious themes, but I still enjoyed the espionage and subterfuge as the Korda’s travel around seeking to fill the gap in their funding. Overall, another delightful film from Wes Anderson that’s dryly funny, visually stunning and solidly emotional with a great ensemble but a weaker story.