AN EMOTIONAL GAP: a review of "The Phoenician Scheme"

 

"THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME"
Story by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Screenplay Written by Wes Anderson
Directed by Wes Anderson
** (two stars)
RATED PG 13
Running Time: 1hr 45min

It happens to even the very best of them.

Filmmaker Wes Anderson has existed at the top tier of my favorite filmmakers for close to 30 years as of this writing, and his status as being one of my personal cinematic heroes has not diminished in the least. That being said, even the most formidable can stumble and for me, notably for the very first time since I fell in love with Anderson's films beginning with his masterful second feature "Rushmore" (1998), I am met with disappointment. 

Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" delivers everything that could every expect from an Anderson film experience: the ornately meticulous production design, the droll and deadpan patterns of speech, a certain dollhouse structure to the proceedings overall. Yet, this time, the result feels like a hefty bag of ammunition for those who truly dislike to those who even detest Wes Anderson movies. For as much as there is to marvel at for an Anderson enthusiast like myself, I have to admit that for the very first time, I felt myself shifting in my seat, feeling unengaged with all of the wonderment occurring in front of my eyes. And to a crucial degree, I felt that the overall concept contained a certain disconnect that I could not get myself pass and therefore, kept me at an arms length. While not a bad film in the least, Frankly, "The Phoenician Scheme" left me cold.

Set in 1950, Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" stars an excellent Benicio del Toro as Anatole "Zsa Zsa" Korda, an industrialist, financier and arms dealer who, at the start of the film, survives yet another assassination attempt. Feeling as if his days are growing numbered, as peppered by visions of the afterlife featuring the likes of a prophet (F. Murray Abraham), Korda's first wife-who is rumored to have been murdered by him (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and God himself (Bill Murray), Korda embarks upon a journey to change his ways to gain entrance into Heaven.

But, first some unfinished business...

First, Korda re-enters into the life of his estranged daughter and Catholic novice Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) with hopes to mend fences while also asking of her to abandon the church and take over his businesses. With a reluctant Liesl and Bjorn (Michael Cera), his administrative assistant (as well as Norwegian entomologist) in tow, Korda embarks upon his "Phoenician scheme," a plot to stake his entire fortune to overhaul the infrastructure of Phoenicia with slave labor by swindling his investors (played by Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks and Jeffrey Wright, respectively) while being pursued by government agent Excalibur (Rupert Friend), further assassination attempts and the specter of Uncle Nubar Korda (Benedict Cumberbatch), Korda's estranged half-brother. 

With its labyrinthine plot, dizzying speedball dialogue (which again, is an absolute blessing to listen to--especially during this current cinematic stage where the written word of screenplays are increasingly an afterthought), a variety of effective, engaging performances and again, a visual aesthetic and presentation second to none and singular in his trademark vision, Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" contains many of the hallmarks that have defined his cinematic reputation as one of our most idiosyncratic artists. I feel that the secret ingredient to his filmography is that while the display of his aesthetic may feel artificial, they have always remained emotionally true as they often possess powerfully melancholic souls while being playfully offbeat.

As I have stated upon this site in past reviews, I felt for as wondrous as his filmography already was between "Rushmore" and "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012), it was the arrival of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), "Isle Of Dogs" (2018), and "The French Dispatch" (2021) where Anderson's inventiveness and creativity felt to skyrocket into gloriously uncharted, unfiltered territories yet they were all deeply felt love letters to a dreamworld Old Europe, Japanese cinema and the written worlds created within journalism, respectively while also existing as mournfully elegiac films about endings. "Asteroid City" (2023) was possibly his most arcane and even still, the emotional throughline was always present as I still feel that film was essentially Wes Anderson existential journey into why he makes films in the way that he chooses.

Yet, with "The Phoenician Scheme," there was an emptiness to me. Yes, Benicio del Toro impressed grandly, fully ingratiating himself into the Wes Anderson universe effortlessly. Mia Threapleton (Kate Winslet's daughter in her first leading role!) made a terrific impression as well. T The incorporation of musical pieces from composers Stravinsky, Beethoven and Mussorgsky among others greatly enhanced the film's elegantly ornate mood. And of course, there were sequences and moments in the comedy of manners that made me laugh out loud, from a ridiculous basketball game between Korda and his investors and Korda's penchant for offering hand grenades to others as innocuously as if he were passing out dinner mints.

Most especially, it is the gorgeous Cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel combined with the outstanding set design again made for images so stunning that I wished that I could've utilized the capacity to freeze frame images to study them or adore them like the finest of paintings. To that end, Anderson's physical utilization of his actors is possibly at its most extreme sense of being esoteric as the actors are often staged with a sense of unnatural rigidity, leaning heavily into the fabrication of the proceedings. They nearly look like human figurines and yet, they move. Returning to my delight in regarding each frame as if they were paintings, it is within the movement of the actors where it is almost like witnessing an illusion...a moving picture. 

And what are the movies anyway?  

All of this is extremely clever and it all contains the same sense of wonder. Don't get me wrong. There is a great amount to admire in "The Phoenician Scheme" but...crucially, without a soul, everything else is just window dressing.

Perhaps it was an over familiarity with some common Anderson themes and plot points. The dysfunctional family as headed, such as it is, by a cantankerous scoundrel Father/Father figure seeking a redemption arc in his elder years a la "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001) or "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" (2004), for instance. A main character barreling ahead within the story adorned with all manner of physical bruises mirroring inner pain and sorrow, a visual representation of literally being the walking wounded is reminiscent of "The Darjeelng Limited" (2007). We've seen al of this before from Anderson and even better, so why are we rehashing this avenue to this extent?

Furthermore, it is within this construct that Wes Anderson has injected themes and plot points, while clearly satirical, left me with a decidedly unpleasant taste, especially as we are living in the world we are existing in presently. 

Let's be honest here. Despite all of the whimsy and playfulness on display combined with the full commitment of Benicio del Toro's performance in the leading role, the character of Anatole "Zsa Zsa" Korda is an irredeemable monster, making his quest for moral and spiritual redemption a non-starter. 

Throughout the film, and once Korda begins to hatch his plot, which again is to bank his fortune as a means to swindle the fortunes of other irredeemable monsters to build an infrastructure utilizing slave labor, the film lost me. 

It was as if I was being asked to sympathize with a Trump-ian figure, despite the fact that Korda is unquestionably more articulate, intelligent, educated, contemplative and elegant than who I could not help myself to constantly find my mind drifting towards. Korda's disdain for his children until he utilizes them for his self interests. The rumor of Korda possibly having murdered his ex-wife. The competitive palling around with the soulless investors felt like regarding self perceived "Masters Of The Universe" felt like regarding Bezos, Zuckerberg, Murdoch, Ailes, and Thiel playing with the world as if upon a string, the human cost forever irrelevant. It all felt too close to reality, so to speak, that I found myself detaching because I could not understand why Korda deserves salvation. For you cannot attain absolution through unrepentant capitalism. And frankly, when you end up essentially rooting for the assassins, I believe your film has proven itself unsuccessful with its ultimate goals.     

Starting with "The Grand Budapest Hotel," Wes Anderson's fantasias have grown ever more sumptuous to my unwavering delight but with "The Phoenician Scheme," the film felt as if its contents were made up of previously used, or discarded or underthought ideas from the bottom drawer. For a track record that is as uncommonly high as Anderson's, I am certain he will rebound quickly. 

But for now, and regardless of its strengths, "The Phoenician Scheme" is the first Wes Anderson film that I have no desire to revisit.

THE BIG FINISH: a review of "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning"

 

"Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning"
Based upon the television series "Mission: Impossible" created by Bruce Geller
Screenplay Written by Christopher McQuarrie & Erik Jendressen
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
**** (four stars)
RATED PG 13
Running Time: 2 hrs 50 min

With all due respect to the latest round of cast members, I am recalling a somewhat recent sketch from "Saturday Night Live" featuring two of our regulars (I cannot remember whom) portraying a couple of cabana boys casually jawing away between (sort of) assisting clients. 

At one point, one of the two turns to the other to announce his light distaste for the title "Mission: Impossible" in favor of just calling the films..."I Think He's Gonna Do it!" That quip made me laugh heartedly but honestly, when coming to the actual films, which have been part of our cinematic lives for 29 years, the fact that they have all been executed to such a high level by a seemingly-and increasingly-sheer force of iron will by Actor/Producer Tom Cruise, the prospects always feels like impossible missions made unbelievably possible. To echo that SNL sketch, regarding Cruise, yes, I think he's gonna do it but man, does he keep raising his own bar to ever exceedingly tall heights. It just has to fall apart, right?  

Dear readers, as I have expressed over and again, after a lifetime of watching movies, I have long existed in a space where I never need see another car chase again, so to speak. And if you are regular visitors to this blogsite, you already know my long held disdain for our current state of cinema where sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes, re-imaginings and the like have fully taken over the theater going landscape at the expense of any and every other movie that could be made. 

That said, there are always exceptions for when the movie works, its success cannot be denied. Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible" series, for me, has been the incredibly rare film series that continues to excel to high levels when most series would have grown stale by the third installment. Instead, it was with J.J. Abrams "Mission: Impossible III" (2006), that the series began to take off and it has never looked back as every subsequent chapter has delivered greater results than its predecessor by raising its own stakes and miraculously exceeding any expectations and/or hesitations. 

With Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning," the eight film in the series (and McQuarrie's fourth as Director). he and Tom Cruise have gifted us with an absolutely thunderous  send off. There is no conceivable reason for this film to work as powerfully well as it does except for the fact that Tom Cruise's unshakeable passion for the movies and movie making is evident in every single frame and an unwillingness to deliver anything less than his absolute best, thus having all of his collaborators dig just as deeply to ensure they are working towards the same goal. And yet, as wild as the film is, what surprised me the most was the film's often overwhelming gravity, mirroring the current state and fears of our very real world, suspending my sense of disbelief to the point where my palms began to sweat! 

Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" picks up directly from the previous episode as the rogue AI known as The Entity has evolved to the stage where the nature of empirical truth and facts have been all but obliterated. Aided by the actions of a rising doomsday cult, The Entity has increasingly overtaken global nuclear systems, placing the world on the edge of Armageddon in days time. 

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, which includes expert computer technician Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), field agent Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), new IMF recruit/ace pick pocketer Grace (Hayley Atwell) and French assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff), still in pursuit of the elusive Gabriel (Esai Morales) as well as the other half of the submerged Entity source code key, embark on the ultimate race against time. 

Is he gonna do it? Well...this film is subtitled "The Final Reckoning," isn't it?

With all we know about elongated film series over time, there really is no fathomable reason that Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" should work at all. Most film series peter out by the third installment if not sooner or they fully overstay their welcome (as some would argue about the continuing Marvel Cinematic Universe). Yet, and as previously stated, under the supreme and endlessly determination of Tom Cruise with McQuarrie as brilliant co-pilot, the "Mission; Impossible" series, for me, has only grown in stature and power with each installment. 

With this latest effort, I have deeply appreciated how the film extends itself beyond being superlative popcorn entertainment but one that succeeds exceedingly on multi-levels. With the previous installment, "Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part 1" (2024), we not only received a furiously conceived and executed the first half of essentially a two part finale, we also received what was essentially a tribute to the classic action sequences within the history of the movies as essentially all of that film's set pieces were echoes and astonishing updates to classic tropes from the past starring Cruise pushing his body plus mental and physical stamina beyond reasonable limitations to ensure that we in the audience receive a film experience designed for the big screen and hopefully one that will be forever etched in or memories.     

As convoluted as the details and intricacies of the film's plot are, in addition to the levels of exposition needed, the story of "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" is easily distilled into basics that I found easy to follow and digest. Remarkably, I thoroughly enjoyed how the film weaved elements from all seven previous entries, from smaller to larger and especially one fantastic detail, allowing the eight films to be revisited as either stand alone features or as an extended narrative. And as he again pushes his body, physical and mental stamina beyond reasonable limits, Tom Cruise demonstrates precisely why he has existed as a movie star for nearly four decades but also the sheer diligence and feverish commitment he brings to the movies. 

Whether a film of his has been creatively successful or not, I would be hard pressed to find any soul who would think that Tom Cruise has ever performed lazily, just claimed a paycheck for a role or did not believe in the film he was making at a given time. He has been so dependable for so long, and with his celebrity status as large as it is, it is easy to take him for granted, as an actor and as a creative.

This element regarding Tom Cruise's career makes it the perfect mirror image of the character of Ethan Hunt, making 'Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" work beautifully as a dual narrative of Cruise doing all that he is able for the sake of his chosen art (and the survival of the movies as a communal experience) and Ethan Hunt doing all that he can to save the world from annihilation.

For Cruise as a performer, much will rightfully be noted about his rigorous (and downright insane) desire to place himself in such danger for the sake of or entertainment. But even so, I was again exhilarated as it added to the overall suspension of disbelief knowing that it is really Cruise being tossed around in the skies as he attempts to navigate from one by plane into another, again raising the narrative stakes, forcing us to hang onto the edge of or seats wondering if he will indeed save the day against ever escalating...ahem...impossible odds. 

Here is where Christopher McQuarrie and his expert cinematic team of collaborators take all they have learned from the previous film, apply those techniques and ratchet up the tension and excitement even further conceptually to degrees that I haven't really felt since Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) or even Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode 8-The Last Jedi" (2017) as just as when I saw those films, beads of sweat were pooling in the palms of my hands!

Yet, if the film was all set pieces and no substance, regardless of how stupendous the extended underwater and high flying climax are (and they truly are), "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" would not be cinema to savor if there was nothing else to stick to the ribs, so to speak. For me, this film offered a critical element that assisted greatly in cementing its power as entertainment as well as existing as an artistic statement. By reaching out from fantasy and staring out at the world in front of us as well as behind us. 

This past month while delivering a commencement speech at Wake Forest University, Author and "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley delivered the following urgent remarks to the graduating class of 2025:

"I'm a reporter so I won't bury the lead. The country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you and it needs you today...

...in this moment-this moment, this morning-our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts...

...power can rewrite history. With grotesque, false narratives they can make heroes criminals and criminals heroes. And they can change the definition f words that we use to describe reality...

...This is an old playbook my friends. There is nothing new in this."

Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" surprised me by how sobering of an experience it actually was. It is a film that speaks to the moment in our collective history politically as much as it speaks to our turbulent political pasts regrading the nature of absolute power corrupting absolutely as well as our own hubris with believing that we, as humans, can control what ultimately cannot be controlled, be it the environment, the nature of Science and most certainly, the rising and dangerous control over us by AI. For what is happening right this very minute and certainly over this previous decade bookended by two horrific Trump administrations, feckless government officials, a complacent media, rampant avarice and unleashed misogyny and racism, empirical truth has been fractured and hopefully not irrevocably...but I fear we are not far off.

A plot that showcases technology run amok leading the world via false narratives to the edge of nucleal holocaust is no longer an outlet for Science Fiction for we are living this reality via authoritarian means that are as old as time. What has made "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" so potent is that the peril is so real and tangible that makes the film's plea to retain and rebuild our sense of shared humanity that much more urgent as well as it is so passionately earnest. 

As Ving Rhames as Luther intones with deep, urgently felt solemnity: 

"We all share the same fate-the same future. The sum of our infinite choices. One such futures built on kindness, trust and mutual understanding...should we choose to accept it. Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close, but for those we'll never meet."

These words, or variations of, are repeated in key moments during the film, and it serves as a call to action as well as a warning if we shed the symbiotic nature of our existence for futile individualism at the expense of the world we share with everyone and everything. It asks of us that should we find ourselves in a dire moment, what kind of human hands would you wish to be holding the wheel.

A startling sequence where President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett, performing with her trademark gravitas), is faced with an...again, ahem...impossible choice filled me with honest existential dread should the same event be played out in our real lives through a series of situations that we, as humans, created for ourselves. Because of this, McQuarrie and Cruise have made a film that is not just made for popcorn buckets. it is a film that we are driven to interact with emotionally and viscerally, as we are all needing to find our inner Ethan Hunt to preserve whatever we feel is of importance in or world, for ourselves, for those we love and for those may never meet.

Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning" is a stupendous send off to an aging film series that has only continue to grow, blossom and ultimately build with wisdom while also outdoing itself over and again with all manner of thrills, chills and spills at a time when I know I have seen enough action sequences to fill lifetimes. 

Thank you to McQuarrie and without question, the relentless force that is Tom Cruise. You've done it, sir. Now...get some rest, sir. Maybe do a comedy next time? 

I don't think that's impossible of us to ask!