The Phoenician Scheme review: Wes Anderson's latest is a quaint tale of industrial espionage

Casually moving into new terrain – this might be dubbed a tale of industrial espionage – this typically quirky offering comes with all the usual Anderson trappings: a starry ensemble cast (including his old pal Bill Murray, playing – who else? – God); fastidious production design from Adam Stockhausen; and heaps of arch humour.

Co-written by Anderson and his regular collaborator Roman Coppola, The Phoenician Scheme is a very quaint spy movie (even if it toys with the tropes of the genre, with scenes of morse code, sabotage, quicksand all present). Rather, it’s a father-daughter tale, as Korda decides to leave his entire estate to his only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a devout nun. Never mind he also has nine adopted sons, it’s his only female offspring that he entrusts.

Meanwhile, a cadre of government officials (led by Rupert Friend) are plotting to bring Korda down, a man whose accumulated wealth has not always been acquired legally.

Certainly, he’s a man of no fixed abode, without even a passport to his name. “I don’t need any human rights,” he says. Despite also being under the belief that her father’s fortune has been gained through “unholy mischief”, Liesl agrees to take on the estate, under the impression that she can use his ill-gotten-gains for good.

What follows sees Korda and Liesl connect with relatives and others as part of the titular infrastructure scheme that the businessman is proposing. Accompanying them is Michael Cera’s tutor-turned-administrative secretary, as they go through some weird encounters, including playing basketball with Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston, and meets with Scarlett Johansson, as Cousin Hilda, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Uncle Nubar, who may or may not have killed Liesl’s mother.

As plot developments go, it’s sometimes baffling, sometimes inconsequential. But The Phoenician Scheme is still an enjoyable doodle from Anderson, benefitting from being one of the best cast of the director’s recent movies. Del Toro, who featured in Anderson’s 2021 film The French Dispatch, is fabulous as Korda, mixing mystery with menace. Likewise, Threapleton is a force of nature as the good-natured nun, while Scott Pilgrim… star Cera has a ball as Bjorn, complete with comedy European accent and a tarantula.

There are also cameos from the likes of The IT Crowd star Richard Ayoade (as a Communist Revolutionary) and Hope Davis (as Liesl’s Mother Superior), in what is a rich tapestry of talent. Coupled with some beautiful design from Stockhausen – the film was entirely shot in Studio Babelsberg in Berlin – it’s a feast for the eyes. Of course, it’s unlikely that those who are left cold by Anderson’s aesthetics will be persuaded to embrace him. But fans, especially those looking for a rival spy movie to the incoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, should get a kick out of this latest confection.

The Phoenician Scheme is released in UK cinemas on Friday 23rd May 2025.

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