There's a sincere hope in Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Plan, even though its anti-hero is a monument to corruption. Like many of Anderson's films (The Royal Tenenbaums, Asteroid City, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox), his latest film centers on a deeply flawed father determined to connect better with his offspring. The biggest obstacle to his mission is always himself. But Anderson finds a new style in this film by venturing into a new genre: the spy thriller.
Anderson has long been condemned by indifferent critics for the drab presentation of his ensembles and his cinematic worlds painted in muted shades of pink and yellow, often condescendingly described as corny. Within these pillars of his style, Anderson has rigorously interrogated toxic masculinity and how it clashes with professional ambition and personal relationships. With The Phoenician Plan, he introduces assassins, spies, poison gas, shootouts, and explosions. These bursts of blood and violence are all the more shocking because they visually disrupt Anderson's picture-book aesthetic. However, the film's father protagonist might be Anderson's most tenderhearted to date.
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Stars: Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera
Benicio del Toro plays the notorious businessman Zsa-zsa Korda; he has no loyalty to nations, an unbridled ambition for wealth, and is known for his international intrigues and rampant corruption. He also has ten children, including his eldest and only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who is preparing to take her vows as a nun. Well, that is unless the irreligious Korda has something to say.
Hated by world governments, spy agencies, and business rivals, Korda has the unusual feat of having survived a series of assassination attempts, including six plane crashes. Fearing his time is running out, he reunites with his estranged novice to force her to leave the church and become the heir to his fortune. But first, she must be his assistant in his latest venture, "The Phoenician Plan."
Explaining this complex tunnel-, train-, and dam-building project, Korda presents several shoeboxes, evoking Anderson's adoration for a static shot of personal heirlooms. (Later, a supposed family locket will also bask in the delicate beauty of treasured objects.) He takes her on a cross-country journey through 1950s Phoenicia, during which they meet a host of colorful characters, played by returning collaborators such as Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as newcomers to the company, Michael Cera and Riz Ahmed.
Although Liesl insists she desires a life of simplicity and devotion, Korda showers her with elaborate gifts, such as a jeweled rosary. Despite her protests, his effect on her is evident in her changing appearance. Throughout their adventure, Liesl's white novice uniform takes on color: red lipstick, green eyeshadow, vibrant green stockings, and a golden dagger. Her effect on her father is slow to manifest but more profound, as he begins to question whether slave labor and man-made famines are not, after all, sound business practices, and whether they might, in fact, be "damned, to hell!"
The generational gap separating them is more than just a rift, as Liesl harbors a deep resentment toward a father too emotionally withdrawn to take responsibility for his shortcomings. This emotional disconnect informs Anderson's style of dialogue, which intersperses blunt honesty and intellectual curiosity with gentle yet stern dialogue. When Liesl accuses her father of murdering her mother, his tone is restrained but firm. In response, he may boast. But his bellows are usually reserved for partners in negotiations, where figures of traditional masculinity, in formal attire or sportswear, roar at each other loudly and quickly, like the snarling animals in Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Del Toro handles both modes with aplomb: the gently grumbling patriarch and the vociferous con man. As in The French Dispatch, he brings a scruffy, jaded texture to Anderson's script, which quietly speaks to a vulnerability beneath Korda's invincible persona.
Threapleton proves to be the perfect scene partner for del Toro. With her large eyes and natural scowl, she brims with emotions ranging from annoyance to curiosity, protectiveness to love. Like her father, she speaks coldly. So even when he says "I love it" about a particularly eye-catching gift, his lack of enthusiasm is amusing.
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