‘The Phoenician Scheme’ review: Wes Anderson at his wild, whimsical best

Wes Anderson recently acknowledged that the “surface” of his films “has become the thing people sometimes focus on”. Actually, this isn’t a recent development. Ever since the director cemented his aesthetic with quirky black comedies such as 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums and 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited, his name has doubled as an adjective: there’s even an Instagram account dedicated to real-life locales that are “accidentally Wes Anderson”. His surfaces are so distinctive and intricate that it’s hard not to marvel.

The Phoenician Scheme, Anderson’s 13th feature film, contains faint echoes of his 2014 opus The Grand Budapest Hotel. Like that dazzling comedy-drama, it’s a surreal period piece set in mid-20th century Europe. But The Phoenician Scheme is also something more intimate: a redemption story focusing on Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), a slippery businessman who brokers mega-deals in exchange for a hefty percentage. Korda wields so much sway that governments and business rivals want him dead, which is why his private jet keeps crashing down to earth.

Like many unscrupulous tycoons approaching old age, Korda is getting his house in order. He’s chosen an heir – his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a trainee nun – and wants her involved in his legacy project. This is the film’s eponymous scheme: a massively ambitious plan to link up a fictionalised version of the ancient Mediterranean region Phoenicia with a state-of-the-art transport network. It’s a literal bridge and tunnel job that remains vague for much of the movie. Then again, who looks to Wes Anderson for an analysis of transnational infrastructure?

Korda’s grand plan requires capital from a global portfolio of venture capitalists, so he jumps in his vintage jet with Liesl and eccentric assistant Bjorn (Michael Cera) to drum up funds. This allows Anderson to litter the film’s surface with his favourite showpiece: extended cameos from A-list actors. Scarlett Johansson plays cultish Cousin Hilda; Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks jostle as Californian oddballs Reagan and Leland; and Riz Ahmed is suitably stately as Prince Farouk. Later, Benedict Cumberbatch has a blast as Korda’s vindictive half-brother Uncle Numar.

As ever, Anderson really cranks up the knowing whimsy. We see Korda grappling with his conscience in dream sequences where God is played by Bill Murray – who else? But The Phoenician Scheme never becomes smug or too self-referential; it’s simply a lot of fun peppered with unexpected bursts of action, a new addition to the Anderson arsenal.

In her first major film role, Threapleton (whose mum is Kate Winslet) initially seems mannered. But by the end, her poised performance feels like a key piece of the puzzle: Liesl is a calm, almost catatonic counterpoint to Cera’s quirkier turn and del Toro’s alpha charisma. It all adds up to a superior Wes Anderson confection: the surface gleams with a retro sheen, but there’s enough going on underneath to leave a lasting impression.