Euronews Culture's Film of the Week: 'The Phoenician Scheme' - Wes Anderson's shallow caper

Published connected 30/05/2025 - 15:07 GMT+2•Updated 18:44

After 3 decades delighting audiences pinch ornamental eccentricities and highly stylised aesthetics, is Wes Anderson now simply recycling his aforesaid aged tricks? Worse, has he forgotten that immersive world-building becomes nan crafting of quiet shells without precious affectional payoffs?  

On nan backmost of 2023’s Asteroid City and judging by this year’s offering, it’s a frustrating ‘yes’ connected some counts.  

Set successful 1950, The Phoenician Scheme starts disconnected pinch a bang. Literally.  

Corrupt tycoon Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda (Benicio Del Toro), 1 of nan richest men successful Europe, is attempting to past his latest assassination effort and flight from his sixth level crash.

It’s an incredibly promising measurement to footwear things off: explosions, blood, nan astonishment ejecting of a useless pilot... It’s a blast. 

Once he's travel to position pinch nan truth that his enemies whitethorn soon punch his ticket, nan industrialist visits his estranged girl Liesl (Mia Threapleton) and tells her that she is to beryllium his sole heir. Despite his different 9 boys.

After entrusting his empire to Liesl, who is training to go a nun and whose knowledgeable reservations regarding her father’s less-than-ethical practices tally deep, Korda enlists her to assistance him successful his latest business venture. Considering nan authorities is readying to sabotage his astir audacious task yet successful nan fictional state of Phoenicia – nan specifications of which he has neatly contained wrong shoeboxes – he plans a whistle extremity circuit to sojourn investors and donors to cod promised advances connected nan project. 

Along for nan racketeering thrust is Bjorn (Michael Cera, who was calved to beryllium a cleanable summation to nan Andersoniverse).He's a Norwegian tutor specialising successful nan insect world, who whitethorn not beryllium arsenic scholarly aliases arsenic bumbling arsenic he seems... The trio embark connected a fast-paced travel that features glorified cameos from dandies Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston), a fez-wearing nightclub proprietor named Marseilles Bob (Matthieu Amalric), American sailor Marty (Jeffrey Wright) and Cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson), each nan measurement to nan final-level leader - nan dastardly Uncle Nubar (a bearded and bushy eyebrowed Benedict Cumberbatch).

This each sounds bully connected paper, but contempt a promising pre-credits kick-off and a pleasing gait which lulls you into reasoning that dire Asteroid City was a insignificant mishap and that The Phoenician Scheme could very good beryllium a return to shape for Anderson, this latest formation of fancy ends up frustratingly shallow.

The rapid-fire and hyper-articulated speech falls flat; nan starry roll-call of A-listers is wasted; nan insistent gag astir offering each investor a souvenir manus grenade becomes bizarrely tiresome; and dissimilar erstwhile offerings The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel aliases Fantastic Mr. Fox, thing registers connected an affectional level. As joyful arsenic it is to spot Benicio Del Toro playing a nonchalant capitalist pinch redemption (ish) connected nan mind, he is fixed precious small successful position of characteristic improvement – particularly erstwhile compared to akin Anderson archetypes antecedently played by Bill Murray, Ralph Fiennes and George Clooney successful nan 3 aforementioned (and acold superior) adventures. These films had bosom and emotional payoffs to lucifer nan delightfully offbeat and twee antics. All we get present is twee.

Not that Wesheads will beryllium near wanting. They'll still person a awesome clip marveling astatine accumulation designer Adam Stockhausen’s craft, pinch nan impeccably manicured sets and Anderson’s devotion to symmetry still a ocular dainty to behold. But not moreover an amusing blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo from Bill Murray playing God during 1 of nan Bergman-esque afterlife segments or Anderson newcomer Mia Threaplton stealing each segment she’s successful pinch her spot-on deadpan transportation (“They opportunity you murdered my mother. I consciousness nan request to reside this”) tin prevention The Phoenician Scheme.

Like Anderson’s caller output (minus nan messy but unfairly maligned The French Dispatch), his latest caper lacks nan affectional halfway that ought to complement nan stylish visuals. The director may tick disconnected his treasured hallmarks – precise framing, immaculate detail, neglectful parents seeking their warped type of absolution – but it lacks soul, to nan constituent of toppling into parody.

So, while not arsenic pleased pinch itself arsenic Asteroid City was, this brisker and much linear escapade still gives disconnected nan belief that Anderson and his regular co-writing compadre Roman Coppola are simply keen to bask themselves much than their audience. Anderson may person go a genre onto himself, but considering The Phoenician Scheme ends up joining Asteroid City arsenic 1 of his slightest rewarding films to date, nan maestro of nan meticulously crafted confection should do good to punctual himself nan following: sacrificing quality extent successful favour of quirk for quirk’s sake will only make assemblage members nostalgic for his older and acold little quiet spectacles.

Even The French Dispatch apologists.

The Phoenician Scheme is retired successful cinemas now.