‘The Phoenician Scheme’ Review; Wes Anderson & Benicio del Toro at Cannes – ryan

Like Jacques Tati, Woody Allen and Luis Buñuel, there can be no Mistaking a Movie Directed and Written by Wes Anderson. An auteur in the trumpet sense of the word, he is as much a painter with the words and visals that put US unquestionably into part of a brain that the world he wants to see it. There’s his oscar-twinning masterpiece The Grand Budapest Hotel; animated gems Isle of Dogs and my favorite wes movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox; and a string of beloved movie COMEDIES INCLUDING The Royal Tannenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom and so many more including His 2024 Oscar-Winning Short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It is good to report that the film is back in style with his latest, The Phoenician Scheme, after stumbling a bit through the overly narrated and artificial (tan for Anderson) Asteroid City, The Most Recent of His Films to Debut in Cannes, JUST as HIS Latest Worlder, The Phoenician Scheme, Dide Sunday Night in Competition.

This one is particularly refreshing in that, the instead of focus on a number of characters, here it is benicio del toro’s zsa-cord, a shady, uber-wealthy industrialist who dominates the processes much the way we have been in other Anderson riffs like like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Sure, there are the usual starry cameon running through the story, but is all in the service of zsa-zsa, a man who dominated the business world and global economy in Europe in the Early 1950s in Much the way we see Elon Musk, an equally Shady Rich. Spotty at best. In fact, there also are sly sly comparisons we coulud make -up to Donald Trump with this man, whose enemies are doing andying to bring down his empire where he is accused of swindling banks, skipping fees, filing frivolous lawsuits – you done it. But is it all Bad?

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Zsa-zsa, who has survived six airplane crashes including the latest one that opens the film on a Note of excitement, is a starting to see God, or at the leadious leaders who Act as therapists in fantasy sequenctions. Somehow he never does, events with a price on his head by any number of would-be assassins. His Latest Plan, With the Lofty Name of the Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme, Has Him enlisting His 20-Yaar-Old Daughter Liesl (Mia threapleton), who is in training to be but whom he thinks coul. Complicated Financial Dealings. Why not his nine – count ’em – nine Sons (Another Musk Comparison)? He wants to give liesl a shot. The idea is to create an infrastructure scheme for an unaive to earth that can be be be be be beis for a potentially rich region that doesn’t exist yet. In return, his business taxes in 5% of the newfound riches in perpetuity. To this he and he is also has to enlist a number of wealthy donors from the world of Shipping, Mining, Railroad, Banking, Real Estate and the Black Market. Their Identies All are contained in a set of shoeboxes, each with a participle specialty.

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First up is a Visit to Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed), Who has Has Proven Savvy with his Kingdom’s Natural Wealth, THEN TO ANGERGROUND TUNNEL FOR A MEETING WITH RAILROAD BARONS (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston). Another Box Introduces US to Marseilles Bob (Mathieu Amalric), A Gangster and Nightclub Owner Who Wants Terrorists to Stop Shooting Up His Place. There Alsois the Shipping Magnate (Jeffrey Wright) Who Could Be Crucial; A Second Cousin Named Hilda (Scarlett Johansson, in Briefly) Who Could Be New Wife; And finally leading up to his brother, the conniving uncle nubar (a very amusgue benedict cumberbatch), who is big Trouble in the family.

With liesl just as interesting in trying to solve her mother’s mother (could it be nubar?) AS in closing the gap of zsa-zsa’s vast finishes, they are on dueling poths, joined by the other characle to complange, that of Norwegian tutor Bnor (Michael Cera) Also studies insects. Do courte He does! AS Anderson Explains the Mindseset of Zsa-Zsa, “he is a Certain type of Businessman who Can Always Pivot. He has no obligation to the truth.” The Director Cites All Sorts of Real-Life Figures from the past as inspirations for this man, people only a Jeopardy! Contestant Might be able to reel off instantly, but you can CAN CANTAINLY SEE the Trump/Musk Influenza Creeping in, thus this was Written long before their partnership got into the picture. At least that is what i sniff here, proving Anderson’s wholly fictional creation has some odd relation to the reality. Can you imagine zsa-zsa living in these times?

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As with all Anderson Films, the Production Values ​​are spectacular. This one was shot almost exclusively on soundstages at studio Babelsberg in Germany. Bruno Delbonnel’s Lush Cinematography (First Time Working on a Feature with Anderson, Who Usually Goes Back to the Same of Artists) and Adam Stockhausen’s Production design are exquisite as are Are Milena Canonero’s Costums and Alexandre Desplat’s Score.

The movie Belongs Lock, Stock and Barrel to Del Toro, Playing This Onassis-Style Billionaire Who Proves Again to Be So ADEPT to the Rhythms of Anderson’s Dialogue and Deliversly here. So do Newcomer Threapleton As Liesl and Cera, a first-eMets in Anderson’s Stock Company Who undoubtedly Will Be Asked Back. Ahmed and Cumberbatch Also Are Welcome Additions, As Is Regular Richard Ayoade As A Terrorist Leader. Look for Willem Dafoe and F. Murray Abraham as pop-ups along the way, with hanks, cranston, Johansson and others in for a fun day’s work.

Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, John Peet and Steven Rales Are Producers.

Title: The Phoenician Scheme
Festival: Cannes (Competition)
Distributor: Focus Features
Release Date: June 6, 2025
Director-Screenwriter: Wes Anderson (Story by Roman Coppola and Anderson)
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Richard Ayoade, Willem Dafoe, F.
Rating: PG-13
TIME RUNNING: 1 HR 41 MINS

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