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The Phoenician Scheme (15)
Directed by Wes Anderson
★★★
AUTEUR filmmaker Wes Anderson returns with a surreal dark comedy drama which explores another dysfunctional family and its patriarch, a ruthless capitalist and European business tycoon who appears immortal.
The film opens with Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), renowned for being the greatest deal maker, surviving the sixth plane crash to date and the umpteenth attempt on his life.
It is then that he decides to groom his only estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a novitiate, instead of one of his nine sons, to be his heir and successor to his business empire.
He takes her, along with his new tutor Bjorn (a sublime Michael Cera) on a plane journey to visit all his partners in one of his grandest schemes in a bid to persuade them to give him more money to plug a financial hole.
Liesl, however, is only interested in becoming a nun and taking her vows.
Co-written by Anderson with his longtime writing partner Roman Coppola (son of Francis) it is a typically bizarre and convoluting ride, exquisitely framed and is full of colourful and quirky characters.
Inspired by his late father-in-law this is pure Anderson in its distinctive look and tone featuring a Renoir and Magritte paintings and the usual stellar cast which includes Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray mostly in cameo roles.
It also has a Brit, comedian Richard Ayoade, as a communist freedom fighter who steals from the rich to give to the less well off.
While Del Toro delivers a trademark compelling performance it is Threapleton (who looks and sounds like her mother Kate Winslet) in her first leading role who steals every scene she’s in as this stern pipe-smoking nun.
She is a total revelation and holds her own impressively opposite Del Toro as the father and daughter relationship becomes the heart of the drama.
That said the film, which is surprisingly funny, also examines faith and redemption as well as capitalist greed as after every assassination attempt Korda finds himself in a black and white afterlife courtroom facing his last judgement.
The film may feel more like style over substance, but Threapleton is definitely a talent to watch.
In cinemas from tomorrow.
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