The Phoenician Scheme

By now, you should know what to expect from a Wes Anderson production. What else can you expect when you see his massive ensemble of quirky characters enact The Phoenician Scheme. Let's see if I can explain it.

Dateline: 1950. Anatole "Zsa-Zsa" Korda (Benicio Del Toro), a world-class tycoon, narrowly survives his sixth assassination attempt by plane crash. After this attempt, Korda starts seeing God (Bill Murray) and His heavenly court (including Willem Dafoe as his heavenly attorney). So, he decides to mend his relationship with his novitiate daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), which includes naming her as his heir. He also decides to enact a scheme to renovate the infrastructure of the Middle Eastern region of Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia. Sounds well and good, but it does involve slave labor and famine.

Spurred on by his big business rivals, Korda heads off to get his big business allies to help foot the bill. He's joined by Liesl and Prof. Bjørn (Michael Cera), who is ostensibly the tutor of Liesl's nine younger brothers. Anyway, they travel the world meeting these potential investors, which include Leland & Reagan (Tom Hanks & Bryan Cranston), Marty (Jeffrey Wright), and Marseille Bob (Mathieu Amalric), as well as Korda's cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson) and estranged half-brother Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch). Will Korda complete the scheme? Or will his survival habit finally expire?

It makes quite an impression with its opening scenes. It seems like a normal flight for Korda, Alexandre Desplat's intense score notwithstanding, until an unlucky dude (Truman Hanks) pops like a balloon and takes some of the plane with him. Korda ejects the unlucky pilot (Stephen Park) and takes the controls himself. We're treated to some delightfully cheesy effects for everything but impact, which happens off-screen. That scene is enough to get one anticipating the next crash. 

By contrast, the opening credits gives us an eloquent birds-eye view of Korda taking a bath (as filmed by Bruno Delbonnel). The marble floor, which sometimes blends in with each name, is quite a sight. A few more great locales include Korda's estate, Reagan & Leland's tunnel, the Heavenly Court and Uncle Nubar's palace. Once again, Adam Stockhausen has helped Anderson envision a cinematic world that's just as fascinating to watch as it is to read about.

Once we get to the scheme, it becomes episodic as Korda and company meet their investors. Anderson and Roman Coppola pack their screen-story with some enjoyable running gags in each meeting. A few highlights include Korda politely offering a hand grenade to an investor, their inevitable shouting match, and a host of familiar assassins. They're tied together by a few good plot threads, which include Korda and Liesl's strained relationship; Prof. Bjørn's big secret; Korda's heavenly visions; and the impending confrontation with Uncle Nubar. It's actually quite easy to follow this plot, even if one major plot point has a convolutedly deadpan explanation.

Korda, as played by Del Toro, isn't really a nice guy at the start. He uses slave labor, which is pretty bad, but according to his enemies, he's a robber baron "who provokes war, as well as peace." He gradually shows his softer side, even accidentally taking a bullet for Marseille Bob, throughout the film. He eventually completes the scheme with a surprisingly selfless act. He's matched perfectly by Threapleton as Liesl, especially as their first conversation rises with deadpan tension. Cera is delightfully awkward as Bjørn, even after his big secret is revealed. 

Amongst the supporting cast, we also have Riz Ahmed as Phoenician Prince Farouk; Richard Aoyade as Sergio the Communist Guerilla; and Hope Davis as Liesl's Mother Superior. The investors are mostly entertaining cameos, though Johansson's Hilda has a bit more plot relevance as Korda's prospective wife. She's still good, though. The same goes for the Heavenly Court, especially with Murray's God, who has to tell Korda straight up that slavery is wrong. The film perfectly builds up Uncle Nubar's "Biblical" presence each time the investors' percentages increase. Cumberbatch's subtly unhinged performance makes it all worth the wait.

I'll admit, much of the intricacies of The Phoenician Scheme's story didn't click with me at first. All the deadpan dialogue, while funny, kept me distant from the depths of Korda's character. At least the visuals were good, as always. But after some thought, I've come to appreciate how good it is. I don't know if this will replace The Grand Budapest Hotel as my favorite Wes Anderson film, but it's still a good time. So, you should definitely scheme to make it to your nearest showtime whenever it's around. It's quite worth it.

That's it for now.