???? The Phoenician Scheme –
A Film Review by Caroline Russo
Starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera. The amazing ensemble cast also features Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, and Scarlett Johansson; plus Richard Ayoade as a helpful freedom fighter, Benedict Cumberbatch as Zsa-zsa’s mysterious half-brother Nubar, Rupert Friend as the shadowy agent “Excalibur”, and Hope Davis as Liesl’s Mother Superior.
IN CINEMAS MAY 29TH
A dazzling diorama of diplomacy, dysfunction, and dry martinis
Wes Anderson returns with The Phoenician Scheme—and he’s not playing it safe. Instead, he’s dialed every Andersonism up to eleven: visual symmetry, deadpan delivery, retro-futurist fashion, and ensemble chaos. The result? A rich, rococo caper that feels like watching a Cold War opera through a kaleidoscope—equal parts satire, spectacle, and soul.
From the film’s opening moments—a mid-air plane disaster handled with casual aplomb by Benicio del Toro’s Zsa-zsa Korda—we know we’re in for something absurdly stylish. Del Toro is sublime here: equal parts charm and menace, floating through scenes like a man who knows death is always one step behind but refuses to walk faster.
The setup is pure cinematic confection. Zsa-zsa, Europe’s most dangerous industrialist (and possibly most crash-prone), is hounded by bureaucrats, bombarded by legal systems, and targeted by mysterious agents. His plan? A vast economic scheme—part infrastructure, part insanity—designed to control trade in a war-torn region for the next 150 years.
Enter Mia Threapleton as Liesl, his estranged daughter, now a nun-in-training. She’s unexpectedly drafted into the business of empire-building, tasked with being his heir—but only if she agrees to his “trial period.” Threapleton brings real heart to the film, playing Liesl as both naïve and cunning—a spiritual counterweight to her father’s secular empire.
The film is packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it genius: Michael Cera as a hapless civil servant, Tom Hanks as a precision-obsessed arbitrator, Riz Ahmed delivering poetic threats, and Richard Ayoade as a freedom fighter who looks like he wandered in from another movie and decided to stay.
But it’s Benedict Cumberbatch as Nubar, Zsa-zsa’s estranged half-brother, who brings an unexpected gravity. Cumberbatch leans into the surrealism with cutting wit and unexpected menace. His scenes with Del Toro crackle with theatrical tension—an intellectual chess match where every line is a threat veiled as a compliment.
The finale is an Andersonian crescendo: a chaotic boardroom showdown staged like a ballet, featuring musical interludes, financial collapses, and an unexpected twist involving the ever-symbolic “bashable rivet.” It’s messy, theatrical, and profound—and will likely divide viewers. For fans of Anderson’s vision, it’s a triumph. For newcomers, it might feel like drowning in vintage wallpaper and whimsical chaos.
But therein lies the magic.
????️ Final Verdict
The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson at his most elaborate and ambitious. It’s not just a film—it’s an experience. As hilarious as it is haunting, this is a meditation on legacy, loyalty, and late capitalism disguised as an adventure comedy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ – A decadent, delicious ride with a five-star ensemble and a mind of its own.
