---
title: "The Phoenician Scheme"
year: 2025
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-phoenician-scheme"
fi1m_id: "the-phoenician-scheme"
imdb_id: "tt30840798"
tmdb_id: 1137350
wikidata_id: "Q124758337"
fi1m_score: 70
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:51.298186+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

Directed by Wes Anderson · 1h 42m · MPA PG-13 · Comedy, Adventure, Crime

## Identity

The Phoenician Scheme

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-phoenician-scheme
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-phoenician-scheme
- **IMDb ID:** tt30840798
- **TMDB ID:** 1137350
- **Wikidata ID:** Q124758337
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30840798/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1137350, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124758337

**Fi1m score: 70** · Critics 75 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* Every man in Europe wants Zsa-zsa Korda dead, and every one of them is delighted to see him

> Wes Anderson gives Benicio del Toro a fortune, a daughter and a great many enemies, and gets back the best performance in one of his films for years. The film around him is handsome, funny in bursts, and for too long one meeting after another.

## Synopsis

Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) is an industrialist and arms dealer who has survived more attempts on his life than he can comfortably count. After the latest one, he summons his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a nun, and takes her with him on the road. His unfinished project is a vast infrastructure scheme, and the money has fallen short. With Liesl and Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera) in tow, Korda sets out to visit each of his business partners in turn and make up the difference, while whoever is trying to kill him keeps trying. Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed and Scarlett Johansson are among the partners.

## Review

Wes Anderson has made a film about a man who is hard to kill. Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) is an industrialist and arms dealer who opens the film by surviving another attempt on his life, and who responds by summoning his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a nun. He then takes her, along with Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera), on a tour of the partners who are meant to be paying for his grand infrastructure scheme. The money has fallen short and he needs each of them to make up the gap. It is a good film, worth your evening if Anderson is your director, and del Toro rather than the scheme is the reason.

Del Toro is the best thing Anderson has had in front of a camera for some time. He plays Korda as a heavy, patient man who speaks in complete paragraphs, and he does it without a flicker of self-regard. Threapleton plays Liesl as still and watchful, a girl who has decided in advance that she will not be impressed, and she holds the screen against him. Cera, as the sidekick, is the film’s cleanest comic instrument. Nearly every good laugh outside the central pair is his.

Bruno Delbonnel shoots it in warm ochres and greens, the camera square to the walls as it always is with Anderson, but he lets the interiors keep some shadow, which is not always the case in these films. The frames are barer than in the last few, with less in the corners for the eye to wander off into, and we thought that suited the man at the centre of them. Adam Stockhausen’s rooms are dioramas, each built to be seen from one angle and no other, and Korda moves through them like a man inspecting property. Milena Canonero’s costumes are as exact as the rooms. Alexandre Desplat’s score is spare and mostly stays out of the way, which is the right call.

The trouble is the itinerary. Each partner gets a chapter: Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston as a pair of American money men who settle terms on a basketball court, Riz Ahmed’s Prince Farouk, Mathieu Amalric as a nightclub owner called Marseille Bob, Jeffrey Wright’s Marty, Scarlett Johansson’s Cousin Hilda. The basketball game made us laugh out loud; Hanks explains the rules with the gravity of a treaty. Then we noticed the shape. Korda arrives, states his price, is refused, is nearly killed, leaves with less than he came for, and the film moves on. Barney Pilling cuts each visit to a few brisk minutes, which is a mercy, but it also means nobody stays long enough to become a person. By the fourth stop we were counting how many partners were left, and we were not proud of it.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Uncle Nubar, the relative Korda would rather not call on, arrives late, and the film brightens when he does. Richard Ayoade turns up and is dry in the way only he is. The pattern is set well before either of them, though, and it is a pattern of sketches.

Set against Anderson’s own work, this is tighter than [*Asteroid City*](https://film.one/film/asteroid-city) and *The French Dispatch*, with one story and one man at the centre of it, and that is welcome. What it lacks is what [*The Grand Budapest Hotel*](https://film.one/film/the-grand-budapest-hotel) had, a place we came to know and were sorry to leave. Korda is always on his way somewhere else. The father-daughter story, which most critics have taken as the film’s true subject, is thinner than they say for most of the running time: Liesl disapproves, Korda notices, they move on. Threapleton makes more of it than the script hands her.

At 102 minutes it does not waste your time, and it is never less than handsome. Go in for del Toro. Do not go in expecting the scheme to add up, because Anderson is not much interested in whether it does, and after a while neither were we.

*Fi1m score 70, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like The Phoenician Scheme, and a good many call it a return to form for Wes Anderson after Asteroid City, with a tighter story and a smaller cast than his recent work. The praise clusters on Benicio del Toro, whose deadpan tycoon is admired almost everywhere, and on Mia Threapleton as his daughter, who is singled out even by reviews that dislike the film around her. The father-daughter thread is where the warmer notices find their feeling; the design and world-building draw the usual admiration.

The reservations are about the story: several find it flimsy or episodic, with too many stars given too little to do, and a few say Anderson’s ironic distance leaves the emotion thin. The spread is wide. The Times finds it his least engaged film, and Vulture says it fails to sell its redemption arc, while Little White Lies ranks it among his funniest.

## Straight answers

**Is The Phoenician Scheme worth watching?**

*The Phoenician Scheme* is worth watching for anyone who already likes Wes Anderson, and we scored it 70. Benicio del Toro gives the best performance in one of Anderson's films for years, and the picture around him is handsome and funny in bursts. The catch is the shape: a run of short business meetings that starts to repeat itself well before the end.

**How long is The Phoenician Scheme, and what is it rated?**

*The Phoenician Scheme* runs 1h 42m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and adventure film.

**Where can I watch The Phoenician Scheme in the US?**

*The Phoenician Scheme* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does The Phoenician Scheme compare to The Grand Budapest Hotel?**

*The Phoenician Scheme* is the slighter of the two, and [*The Grand Budapest Hotel*](https://film.one/film/the-grand-budapest-hotel) is the film we would reach for first. The earlier film gives Anderson a single place to stay in and a concierge worth caring about; the newer one follows a man through a list of appointments and never settles anywhere. Both are exact, funny and well dressed, but only one leaves you sorry to go.

**What should I watch after The Phoenician Scheme?**

After *The Phoenician Scheme*, try [*Paper Moon*](https://film.one/film/paper-moon) (1973, Fi1m 86): A con man and a small girl on the road, and she is the better swindler. Then [*The Grand Budapest Hotel*](https://film.one/film/the-grand-budapest-hotel) (2014, Fi1m 86): Anderson with a place to stay in rather than a list of appointments; and [*Trouble in Paradise*](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise) (1932, Fi1m 84): Lubitsch’s thieves in evening dress; the template for every elegant crook since.

### Reviews we read (29)

- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (5/5/5): A charming arms dealer heads on the road to redemption in this pristine shot of pure pleasure. It is one of Anderson's funniest, most madcap adventures yet, with a perfect climactic gracenote of melancholy. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-phoenician-scheme)
- **Sight and Sound** (85/100, inferred): Anderson delivers his most elaborate creation yet in this high-wire story of an eccentric tycoon planning an infrastructural spree. Benicio del Toro steals the show as the death-defying protagonist in the director's densest confection. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/phoenician-scheme-benicio-del-toro-steals-show-death-defying-tycoon-wes-andersons-latest-caper)
- **The New York Times**, Alissa Wilkinson (85/100, inferred): The critic sees the film as Wes Anderson's intricately designed inquiry into goodness and the protagonist's soul rather than its plot. Del Toro's performance as the shady tycoon is singled out as perfect. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/movies/the-phoenician-scheme-review.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson (80/100, inferred): The critic finds it a delightful celebration of the art of the deal and a charming robber-baron in an era that usually vilifies capitalism. The intricate, dazzling world-building and the pleasure of being swindled by Anderson’s craft are singled out. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-29/phoenician-scheme-review-benicio-del-toro-scarlett-johansson-wes-anderson-jeffrey-wright)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): Wes Anderson's latest is a quaint tale of industrial espionage and a father-daughter story, enjoyable for fans with a rich tapestry of talent and beautiful design. It is still an enjoyable doodle from Anderson. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-phoenician-scheme-review/)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it Anderson’s most emotional and sentimental film, drilling down into the father-daughter relationship amid abundant plot and characters. The jubilantly exquisite design and the story of a ruthless man desperate for his daughter's love are highlighted. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/the-phoenician-scheme-movie-review)
- **Time Out**, Kaleem Aftab (4/5): Wes Anderson spins an action-packed espionage caper with a touch of magic, blending signature style with film noir and action beats. The film rewards as a meticulously detailed puzzle when the full picture comes together. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-phoenician-scheme-review-2025)
- **Screen Daily** (65/100, inferred): Benicio del Toro and Wes Anderson unite for an espionage comedy-drama where the antihero confronts moral failings and shortcomings as a father against a stunning visual backdrop. What is lacking is a grander idea that would help the Scheme really soar. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-phoenician-scheme-review-benicio-del-toro-and-wes-anderson-unite-for-espionage-comedy-drama/5204703.article)
- **The AV Club**, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (C+): The review calls it a minor, fussy comedy of industry that leans on Anderson's visual style and comedic timing but lacks the richer emotional dimensions of his best work, with an episodic structure that feels shallow. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-phoenician-scheme-review)
- **The Observer**, Ellen E Jones (50/100, inferred): Anderson’s finicky style and ironic distance leave the heart and brain starved despite striking tableaux and some flourishing performances like Michael Cera’s. It remains a delightful diversion but lacks deeper grounding. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/film-reviews-the-phoenician-scheme-mongrel-when-the-light-breaks-lilo-stitch-and-fountain-of-youth)
- **Vulture** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film misses the big picture, trading emotional core for grander ideas and failing to sell its high-stakes redemption arc despite strong granular details and performances. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-phoenician-scheme-wes-anderson-movie-review.html)
- **Empire**, Iana Murray: It is textbook Wes Anderson with tighter focus than recent films, impressive world-building and Michael Cera as a standout sidekick. Anderson is at his most fun when bending his own rules while retaining his signature style. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-phoenician-scheme/)
- **Evening Standard**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh: Del Toro is mesmerising and the father-daughter dynamic with Threapleton adds emotional meat, but the story feels flimsy with too many underused stars and the film ultimately does not soar. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-andersons-film-just-doesn-t-soar-b1228420.html)
- **Financial Times** (★★★☆☆): The film toys with action elements like explosions in a wry inside joke while remaining very much an Anderson film, with likeable whimsies but too many characters feeling like an afterthought. It works better as comedy than as a father-daughter tale. [Read](https://ft.com/content/885f7c42-1bad-4944-afd4-7983e1feb413)
- **The Guardian**: The film is enjoyable and executed with Anderson’s usual dispatch but feels less visually detailed and inspired than his earlier work, with less sympathy for the characters. Mia Threapleton delivers a likable lead turn as the standout. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/18/the-phoenician-scheme-review-mia-threapleton-shines-in-wes-andersons-muted-new-confection)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye: The critic praises Benicio del Toro's lead performance and sees the film as a return to Anderson's emotionally grounded storytelling, highlighting the father-daughter relationship and its humanistic core amid the director's signature style. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-benicio-del-toro-1236220124/)
- **The Independent**, Geoffrey Macnab: The critic calls it one of Anderson’s most enrapturing recent works, witty with arcane references and juvenile humour. It is a pictorial treat with strong contrast between fast-moving events and slow, deadpan characters, plus excellent work from Del Toro. [Read](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/phoenician-scheme-review-cannes-wes-anderson-b2752520.html)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland: It is Anderson at his dark, melancholic best, with real depth in the fractured family relationships and a beautiful father-daughter reconciliation at its core. The droll tone and surprising twists keep it funny and engaging despite some byzantine elements. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-dark-melancholic-best-3702301)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin: This is Anderson’s most Andersonian film to date, tender, witty and wondrous, with a dreamlike quality and sui generis lead performance from Benicio del Toro. It delivers a complete delight full of treats and hyper-real scenes. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/the-phoenician-scheme-wes-anderson-review/)
- **The Times** (★★☆☆☆): The film is Anderson’s least engaged despite its sombre tone, with bare frames and little for the head or heart amid skits and cameos. Mia Threapleton shines as the sensational discovery in a quiet, charismatic turn. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-phoenician-scheme-film-review-new-wes-anderson-nfg2znnxb)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge: The critic describes the film as a dense but undeniably enjoyable saga that doubles as a moving father-daughter tale while exploring the robber-baron spirit of 20th-century capitalism. The meticulous compositions and del Toro’s dignified performance are singled out for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-1236402578/)
- **Paste**, Jason Gorber (8.4/10): Celebrates the film's visual perfection, playful whimsy, and sublime details in every frame as another fine Wes Anderson fantasy. Singles out Mia Threapleton's dour yet captivating performance and the radical frivolity amid dark themes for praise. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/wes-anderson/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-cannes-premiere-benicio-del-toro-performances-mia-threapleton)
- **Collider**, Therese Lacson (8/10): Praises the film as a return to form with a heartfelt father-daughter story and strong performances from del Toro and Threapleton, while noting Anderson's evolving style and new cast members. Singles out the genuine emotional core and earned ending for praise, while complaining about overly verbose espionage dialogue. [Read](https://collider.com/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-benicio-del-toro/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (80/100, inferred): The film marks a welcome return to form for Anderson after Asteroid City, with Benicio Del Toro dominating as the shady industrialist Zsa-Zsa Korda in a refreshingly focused story. Del Toro's flawless delivery of Anderson's dialogue and the strong turns from newcomers like Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera are singled out for praise. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/05/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-benicio-del-toro-cannes-1236401800/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4/5): The critic calls it Wes Anderson’s best film in over a decade and a delightful return to form with narrative propulsion and tension missing from recent works. They single out the emotional spine in the father-daughter relationship alongside the visual confections and whimsy. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-best-movie/)
- **/Film**, Bill Bria (8/10): The critic calls it a breezy, hilarious Wes Anderson romp that returns to road-movie mode, praising the strong ensemble performances led by Benicio Del Toro's magnetic turn and Mia Threapleton's nuanced work. They note the cartoonish violence and meta elements about filmmaking add entertainment but can feel vague in their satirical targets. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1864644/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson/)
- **NME**, Nick Levine (4/5): The critic describes it as a superior Wes Anderson confection with gleaming retro surfaces but enough emotional depth underneath to leave an impression. They single out the poised performance by newcomer Mia Threapleton as a key counterpoint to the quirkier elements and the fun bursts of action. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson-michael-cera-3863764)
- **The Ringer**, Lex Pryor (80/100, inferred): Views the film as a quirky rumination on a monstrous capitalist seeking redemption through his daughter, emphasizing Anderson's sincerity and tenderness toward flawed characters. Singles out the central theme of devotion and the gory yet amiable portrayal of moneyed ambitions for praise. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2025/06/05/movies/phoenician-scheme-review-analysis-meaning-explainined-wes-anderson-new-movie)
- **The Wrap**, William Bibbiani (70/100, inferred): Anderson crafts another impeccable diorama that tackles capitalism and spirituality in a breezy yet meaningful way, finding value in balancing extremes rather than choosing between them. The focused smaller cast, especially Del Toro's captivating lead performance, is highlighted as a strength in this challenging but friendly work. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-phoenician-scheme-review-wes-anderson/)

## Details

- **Director:** Wes Anderson
- **Director:** Wes Anderson
- **Screenplay:** Wes Anderson
- **Story:** Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
- **Cinematography:** Bruno Delbonnel
- **Editor:** Barney Pilling
- **Music:** Alexandre Desplat
- **Production design:** Adam Stockhausen
- **Costume design:** Milena Canonero
- **Producer:** Wes Anderson, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson
- **Cast:** Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda; Mia Threapleton as Sister Liesl; Michael Cera as Bjorn Lund; Riz Ahmed as Prince Farouk; Tom Hanks as Leland; Bryan Cranston as Reagan; Mathieu Amalric as Marseille Bob; Richard Ayoade as Sergio
- **Runtime:** 1h 42m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 6 June 2025
- **Genres:** Comedy, Adventure, Crime
- **Budget:** $30 million
- **Box office:** $41 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEuMnPl2WI4

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Paper Moon* (1973), Fi1m 86: A con man and a small girl on the road, and she is the better swindler — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md)
- *The Grand Budapest Hotel* (2014), Fi1m 86: Anderson with a place to stay in rather than a list of appointments — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-grand-budapest-hotel.md)
- *Trouble in Paradise* (1932), Fi1m 84: Lubitsch’s thieves in evening dress; the template for every elegant crook since — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise.md)
- *Playtime* (1967), Fi1m 88: Tati builds a whole city so that people can get lost in it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/playtime.md)
- *The Brand New Testament* (2015): A Belgian comedy in which God is a bad father and his daughter rebels

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-phoenician-scheme