Whilst never a massive fan, I used to enjoy Wes Anderson’s quirky films. However, his recent efforts, The French Dispatch and Asteroid City, have been lazy and self indulgent so I did not hold out much hope for The Phoenician Scheme. Benicio Del Toro stars as a wealthy European businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda. He apppoints his only daughter, a nun, Sister Leisl (Mia Threapleton) as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise accompanied by his daughter, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.
Initially, this was a distinct improvement for Anderson. Whilst still employing the same visual style he has used since The Grand Budapest Hotel, the story was more complex and Threapleton was excellent. As Korda travels to meet his investors, there are a few funny moments and his numerous assassination attempts were amusing.
However, it seriously runs out of steam in the last half hour with Korda’s confrontation with his half brother, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, going on for far too long. It was also at that point that the plotline becomes very messy and Anderson’s smugness comes to the fore.
As usual there is a star studded cast with the likes of Scarlett Johannson, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks and Willem Dafoe given very little to do. Surprisingly, of the supporting performers, it was Richard Ayoade as a revolutionary leader who provided the most chuckles.
Initially promising but ultimately tiresome, much like Anderson’s career.
Rating: 5 out of 10