"The Phoenician Scheme" review — Forgiveness for the merciless man
“Myself, I feel quite safe.” When something gets in your way, flatten it. That’s the motto by which arms dealer and businessman Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Korda lives his life. And Korda knows nothing else. His violent tendencies, profound destructive influence on geopolitics, and total disregard for any value in human life might just be building up towards his own violent end. He’s been the victim of dozens of (unsuccessful) assassinations, including poisonings, shootings, bombings, and plane crashes. So far, Korda has proved that he might just be indestructible, but with his most ridiculous business plot about to come to fruition, Korda might need to find some help, both spiritual and practical. With The Phoenician Scheme , his twelfth feature film, Wes Anderson is searching for a redemption story through Korda, whose complex relationship with his estranged daughter, Liesl, a novitiate nun, sends him on a course for divine forgiveness. But even when God feels a little far off, Korda can at le...
