"THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME" - MINI-REVIEW
Director Wes Anderson forgoes narrative framing devices here for this fairly straightforward (but no less intricate) dark comedy about Zsa Zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro), a war profiteer/wannabe industrialist who starts having serious thoughts about his legacy following his sixth plane crash/assassination attempt, and embarks on an elaborate globetrotting scheme to ensure that legacy.
Benicio Del Toro brings a real warmth to the latest in Anderson’s line of formally impressive but deeply damaged people, and Mia Threapleton (as Korda’s daughter, a novitiate nun about to take her vows) and Michael Cera (as a kindly tutor) stand out in an incredible cast (and following ASTEROID CITY, I’m very much enjoying Tom Hanks in his Wes Anderson era).
The film itself, both in terms of the story and the way it’s told, often feels like the Anderson who made THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL trying to remake THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, and while it doesn’t quite reach those heights, there are plenty of laughs to be had, with a soft heart buried beneath all the mechinations and bluster, while also touching on spiritual matters with a surprising thoughtfulness and sensitivity (but also, wait until you see who plays God). Alexandre Desplat’s score feels fraught with danger, and Bruno Delbonnel (stepping in as cinematographer this time for Anderson regular Robert Yeoman) imbues these busy images with a strangely grave grace.
(It is also a more violent film than its PG-13 rating would suggest)
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