‘The Phoenician Scheme’ Review: Wes Anderson and Co. Embark on an Elaborate Save-a-Soul Mission
- Wes Anderson's film The Phoenician Scheme, starring Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera, premiered at Cannes on May 18, 2025, and had a limited release May 30 before a wide June 6 release.
- The film follows Anatole Korda, a ruthless 1950s industrialist played by del Toro, who seeks to secure his legacy through a risky desert development project while enlisting his estranged nun daughter.
- The cast includes Mathieu Amalric, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, and Scarlett Johansson in an espionage black comedy exploring money’s power and limits with a dark tone.
- Del Toro called working with Wes Anderson a “hell of a gift” and reflected on the insecurities actors face, saying, “Can I be in one of your movies? I've never been that guy.”
- The film received a 2.5-star rating out of 4, runs 1 hour 45 minutes, and suggests Anderson continues to explore complex characters within his distinct stylistic framework.
65 Articles
65 Articles
Assassins, nuns, and hand grenades: The Phoenician Scheme is peak Wes Anderson - Washington Examiner
Eccentric and quirky characters; symmetrically framed, pastel-shaded shots; estranged fathers trying to rekindle broken relationships with their dysfunctional families — all the hallmarks of a Wes Anderson movie permeate The Phoenician Scheme, the stylistic filmmaker’s 13th feature. Nicknamed “Mr. Five Percent” and loosely based on the infamous Armenian multimillionaire Calouste Gulbenkian, Benicio del Toro disappears into the role of Zsa-zsa Ko…
Wes Anderson’s elaborate ‘Scheme’
There was a time, early in his career, that young filmmaker Wes Anderson’s work was labeled “quirky.” To describe his blend of dry humor, deadpan whimsy, and unresolved yearning, along with his flights of theatrical fancy and obsessive attention to detail, it seemed apt at the time. His first films were part of a wave when “quirky” was almost a genre unto itself, constituting a handy-but-undefinable marketing label that inevitably became a dismi…
8News Reel Talk: 'Ballerina' & 'The Phoenician Scheme'
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- In this episode of 8News Reel Talk, digital producers Tannock Blair and Julia Broberg sat down in the WRIC NOW studio to give their thoughts on two new releases from last week — "Ballerina" and "The Phoenician Scheme." The hosts gave their reviews and assigned the following star ratings to "Ballerina": Tannock: ★★☆☆☆ Julia: ★★★☆☆ The pair then reviewed Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." The hosts gave their reviews a…
Masterpieces on set, is that necessary? “Someone in the cinema might not see it, but it changes the way the actors play,” says curator Jasper Sharp about the paintings in Wes Anderson’s new film ‘The Phoenician Scheme’.
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