The Wasteland Reviewer

The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Written Review

How interested would you be in watching a film about a shady businessman trying to renegotiate a new contract with their business partners? Yeah…that doesn’t seem like it would be the most engaging story on the big screen. But…when put into the hands of an auteur like Wes Anderson, there is so much more potential to explore and play around with. Anderson’s story is about Zsa Zsa Korda, said shady businessman, attempting to save a trade deal while confronting his perspectives on the world with a little help from his daughter (a nun who is exploring her own journey and perspective in life). The Phoenician Scheme offers an old school adventurous romp in an old school Hollywood style. 

Does The Phoenician Scheme capture that Wes Anderson vibe and spirit? Anderson continues his recent trend of adding more of an arthouse vibe to his films on top of the already idiosyncratic cinematic experience that he has already created. You get the symmetry. You get the vibrant color palette. There are stop motion moments and models. The uncomfortably close-ups and camera pans. They are all there. But there is an intriguing mechanism that both represents Korda’s near-death experiences as well as the exploration of faith that is thrusted upon him. There is something creative and engrossing with these sequences as Anderson goes all out with the production design, costuming, and hairstyling. Anderson’s interpretation of this “after life” space is quite creative and engrossing. Then you have other key elements like Alexandre Desplat’s score that is poignant, nostalgic, and affecting. You can feel Desplat balancing the feel of old school thrillers/noirs as well as globe-trotting adventures. Every set piece feels unique, expertly crafted, and meticulously conceived. 

Is Anderson able to weave together a compelling and engaging story? The actual narrative structure might be one of the film’s elements that leave something to be desired. The approach of having a story that is a literal checklist of places to visit can feel repetitive. But in Anderson fashion, he can find a clever way to keep this structure and do something a little creative with it (including his “investment scoreboard” which changes the mission and perspective after each visit). Anderson is someone to always play around with the mechanisms of delivering exposition and he finds some clever ways including an early newscast about the “death” of Korda as well as a recurring sequence of a circular room and table of bureaucrats and their corporate sabotage (led by Rupert Friend’s Excalibur). The film can be boiled down to a series of charming and dangerous escapades that have influence on the central corporate narrative and the titular business deal. But each of these stops means more than what is on the surface and explores and evolves the dynamic between father and daughter. By the time you reach the moving and tender epilogue of this film, you realize what this film was about all along. Family and finding your true home with those that matter. Legacy from what you accomplish in your life and how you choose to do it. Our lineage and how important it is when we have those that love us in our lives already. And an exploration of meaning and faith and how that should shape our lives instead of how much money you can save. Anderson offers up plenty to chew on but just wraps it in a fun package with characters who are more than they seem, deceit and betrayal, and unique trade negotiations. 

What is always one of the most important elements to an Anderson film? The ever-growing cast of characters that he assembles. That is no different for The Phoenician Scheme. This film does not have quite a star-studded cast like his last few efforts but there is still plenty of star power to enjoy. The heavenly visions that Korda has are packed full of familiar faces as well. But the main core of the film is del Toro, Treapleton, and Michael Cera. Korda is a tough, abrasive, and cold man But del Toro injects just enough charisma and charm to make him someone we can enjoy on screen (even as he discusses planned famine and slave labor). But del Toro brings enough presence and nuance that we can buy-in to this evolution that Korda goes on thanks to this bonkers quest and the presence of his no-longer estranged daughter in his life. Treapleton is tough and brings a presence beyond her years. She can be funny, tough, and relatable. Liesl has only known the abbey for so many years and experiencing her journey in “the real world” is a wonder to watch (and Treapleton captures all these new feelings and experiences so well. Cera is silly and fun as the nerdy and awkward Bjorn and the character gives this underappreciated actor some space to play around in an engaging way (especially for his first Anderson outing). There are plenty of great additions to cast including Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Ayoade, and Scarlett Johansson to name a few. But it is Benedict Cumberbatch who makes the most of his limited screen time as the cold and evil brother of Korda who drips menace and arrogance. There is a climactic conflict between him and del Toro that is silly, dangerous, and tense all at once. These two wonderful actors sell every moment as well. 

Is The Phoenician Scheme yet another great outing for Anderson? This layered romp is a joyous and thought-provoking experience that is hard to deny. You get all the wonderfully cinematic trappings of an Anderson film while being treated to engaging new elements that add depth. One the surface, a tale about renegotiating a trade deal seems quite boring…but not in the hands of an expert craftsman and storyteller like Anderson. Colorful, funny, suspenseful, moving, and ever engaging, The Phoenician Scheme is a towering achievement of a great auteur filmmaker.