★★★★ - EMPIRE
- After yet another assassination attempt, tycoon Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) appoints his daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as his sole heir. -
With every Wes Anderson film, the growing concern is that the idiosyncratic filmmaker is becoming a parody of himself. That is, if you don’t buy into the fun. Yes, in the director’s latest caper, the hallmarks of a Wes film are still there: the framing is as precise as ever, the production design is immaculately detailed, the performances delightfully offbeat. But when mainstream cinema threatens to become more monotonous, lifeless and homogenised with each passing year, why go after a singular artist so settled into his groove that his work has become a genre in itself?
If Anderson’s recent output has suffered from anything, it’s the sheer bulk of it all. Naysayers criticised The French Dispatch for spreading itself thin over its threefold structure, while the layered, meta storytelling of Asteroid City could, at times, be challenging. The Phoenician Scheme should at least alleviate some of those concerns with its tighter focus. Benicio Del Toro leads as Zsa-zsa Korda, a filthy-rich magnate who’s starting to take the hint that some enemies want him gone after his sixth plane crash. Realising he may not be around for much longer, he enlists his daughter Liesl (a razor-sharp Mia Threapleton) to aid him in his latest business venture, even as her moral principles as a nun are wholly (or holy?) at odds with Zsa-zsa’s corrupt practices.
The strained relationship between Zsa-zsa and Liesl provides the film’s centre as the pair encounter shady syndicates, royals and revolutionaries in their travels. There’s incredible world-building here, even as Anderson imbues Phoenicia with vivid detail at such a rapid pace that it can be hard to keep up. Still, even the industrial locations of cavernous tunnels and construction sites are arranged to perfection in typical Anderson fashion.
Tagging along for the adventure is Bjorn (MVP Michael Cera), who might just be the greatest Anderson sidekick since lobby boy Zero in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Cera’s character, a professor specialising in insects, takes completely unexpected turns that the actor revels in, finding both the humour and heart while delivering a ridiculously thick Scandi accent.
It’s impossible to even entertain the idea that all Wes Anderson films are the same when The Phoenician Scheme proves that the director is at his most fun when he bends his rules. (Keep an eye out for a rare Dutch angle from cinema’s most level filmmaker.) It may not be for everyone, but Anderson’s ability to consistently reinvent himself while retaining his essence will always go down a treat.
- Iana Murray, EMPIRE
The Phoenician Scheme is now playing at Light House Cinema!