Directed by Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014); The French Dispatch (2021); Asteroid City (2023); Moonrise Kingdom (2012)) and starring Benicio Del Toro (Traffic (2000); Sicario (2015); The Usial Suspects (1995); Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)), Mia Threapleton (Shadows (2020); A Little Chaos (2014); Scoop (2024)), Michael Cera (Barbie (2023); Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010); Juno (2007)), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse (2019); Spider-Man (2002); Nosferatu (2024); Poor Things (2023)), Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice (2005); Asteroid city (2023); The French Dispatch (2021)), Tom Hanks (), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game (2014); Doctor Strange (2016); The Power of the Dog (2021); Sherlock (tv series (2010-17)) and Richard Ayoade (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021); UnEarthed (2023); Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (tv series, 2023)).
Comedy drama; 101 mins; 12+
A surreal, quirky comedy drama set in 1950 in Phoenicia (eastern Mediterranean), starring ruthless arms dealer Zsa-Zsa Korda (a deadpan Benicio Del Toro) who is known as "Mr 5%", based on he fee as an intermediary. The wealthy businessman is currently in the process of trying to put the pieces together to create a "Phoenician Scheme", each component of which he has compartmentalised the most important documents into shoeboxes.
His life is in danger and he somehow survives numerous assassination attempts, while at the same time trying to evade a group of tycoons trying to stop him, led by Excalibur (Rupert Friend).
Using fixed camera shots and little on-screen movement, the palette of on-screen colours rarely rises above pastel shades; and with much symmetrical compositions, the audience is presented with an aesthetic that feels both whimsical and nostalgic.
While he has ten children, with wives with whom he has no connection, he seeks out his only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton) - who is training to be a nun - to be he only heir, but firstly on a trial basis. She accompanies him on his adventures, trials and tribulations, along with Bjorn (Michael Cera), his assistant.
Along the way we are introduced to his adversaries who include family-member Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch), who we are only really introduced to towards the end, and freedom-fighter Sergio (Richard Ayoade), with the all-star cast also including luminaries such as Knave (Willem Dafoe) and Leland (Tom Hanks).
Wes Anderson's cinematographic style is not for everyone; however, one cannot doubt his mastery of attention to detail, including props and wardrobe, within each scene. The script is clever too, with most actors delivering their characters' lines without much emotion, which leaves the audience either taking everything at face value and happily buckling up for the ride and for the story to unfold, or alternatively examining everything and looking for deeper meaning throughout in multi-layered meanings - in this context, there are many parallels with today's turbulent times, from immigration and wars, to power and insurrection.
Currently screening in Luxembourg at Kinepolis and CiNextDoor.
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