Acclaimed directorWes Andersonhas returned withThe Phoenician Scheme,a dark comedy which follows a wealthy, corrupt businessman (Benicio del Toro) who has appointed his only daughter out of his ten children, a 20-year-old nun named Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as the heir to his estate in an attemptto make amends with her and protect his empire after multiple attempts on his life, then launches a new financial scheme. Like many of Anderson’s other films,it boasts an impressive ensemble cast, includingsome actorsAnderson has worked with a few times already, as well as his signature visual style. Although it’s received mixed reviews, the most positive ones hail the movieas one of his best.
Plenty of other great films share the blend ofhumoranddramafound inThe Phoenician Scheme, including some by Anderson himself—newcomers to his work will enjoy diving into his catalog for movies with similar themes. ButAnderson isn’t the only filmmaker to have found success with playing with genre and tone, especially when it comes to the criminal world.
The Phoenician Scheme
The Phoenician Scheme: Set within a complex world of espionage, this film explores the tumultuous father-daughter relationship at the heart of a family business. As secrets unravel, the pair navigates personal and professional challenges in a plot infused with intrigue and deception. Released on June 19, 2025.
10’Snatch' (2000)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Snatchfollows two intertwined plots—when Frankie Four Fingers (del Toro) steals a priceless diamond, he kicks off a chain of events, involving illegal boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) and his naive partner, Tommy (Stephen Graham). Together, they convince gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford) to offer bets on bare-knuckle boxer One Punch Mickey O’Neil (Brad Pitt) at his bookie business, with the intention of rigging the fights.
BothSnatchandThe Phoenician Schemefeature Del Toro as a menacing criminal who’s part of a compelling ensemble cast—it’s easy to compare Frankie and Zsa-zsa Korda, even if they’re different characters with different motivations.Snatchalso features fast-paced storytelling and is fun to revisit for multiple viewings, especially considering the complicated story can sometimes be hard to follow. It also has a lot in common with directorGuy Ritchie’s first film,Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
9’Inherent Vice' (2014)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Inherent Vice, set in a California beach community in 1970, follows stoner private detective Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), whose ex-girlfriend, Shasta (Katherine Waterston), turns to him for help when she begins to suspect that her current boyfriend’s wife may be plotting to have him put a mental hospital.After the couple disappears, Doc gets involved in a total of three cases connected to them. The movie was based on the novel of the same name byThomas Pynchon.
The Phoenician SchemeandInherent Vicehave more in common than just del Toro as part of a stellar ensemble cast.Both films feature intricate storytelling—Inherent Vicein particular can be convoluted and difficult to follow at times—and both are about family at their core. Because of its complexity,Inherent Vicealso lends itself well to multiple viewings, plus it’s a faithful adaptation of its source material with a great soundtrack.
Inherent Vice
Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel, Inherent Vice is a noir-crime film that puts viewers in the perspective of private eye Doc Sportello during the 1960s, who fully embraces the hippie lifestyle while trying to do his job. When his former girlfriend and her new billionaire boyfriend go missing, Doc immerses himself in the depths of Los Angeles’s crime-laden underworld to solve the cases.
8’Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' (2005)
Directed by Shane Black
InKiss Kiss Bang Bang, criminal Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is on the run from the police whenhe stumbles into an audition for a mystery movie—and manages to land the part. He ends up in Hollywood, where he becomes wrapped up in a conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan).Kiss Kiss Bang Bangwas based on the novelBodies Are Where You Find ThembyBrett Halliday.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bangis a great blend of comedy andnoirand plays with some of the best noir clichés, similar to the wayThe Phoenician Schemecombines comedy with the criminal underworld—and both movies also have a touch of romance.Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalso has an interesting twist, plus it’s wonderfully quotable, as is the case with not onlyThe Phoenician Schemebut plenty of Anderson’s other work.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.
7’Burn After Reading' (2008)
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Burn After Readingfollows gym employees Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt), who stumble upon a misplaced disc containing the memoirs of former CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), who quit his job after being demoted due to a drinking problem.Linda and Chad see the discovery as the perfect opportunity to make a lot of money, but their attempts at doing so don’t go as planned and the situation spirals wildly out of control.
LikeThe Phoenician Scheme,Burn After Readingfeatures a blend of humor and suspense, as well as an ensemble cast of flawed characters, all of whom are fun to watch.Burn After Readingis particularly chaotic, especially as Linda and Chad quickly get in over their heads. But both movies are also particularly relevant to today’s political climate, from the involvement of the Russians inBurn After Readingto the criticisms of wealthy tycoons inThe Phoenician Scheme.
Burn After Reading
A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.
6’The Lobster' (2015)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
In the surreal black comedyThe Lobster, set in a dystopian society,single people have a strict timeline of 45 days to enter into a romantic relationship, or they’ll be transformed into an animal of their choice and sent into The Woods. The film follows David (Colin Farrell), whose wife has just left him for another man, meaning he has 45 days to find a new romantic partner. It was the English-language debut of directorYorgos Lanthimos.
The LobsterandThe Phoenician Schemeare very different films, but both are dark comedies which make great use of deadpan humor.The Lobsterin particular usesits humor and unique, absurd story to comment on human relationships and how much they’re valued by society, and it has received polarizing reactions from audiences, thanks in part to its ambiguous ending. It’s been critically acclaimed, however, and was nominated for an Oscar forBest Original Screenplay.
The Lobster
In a dystopian near future, according to the laws of The City, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or they’re transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.
5’Birdman' (2014)
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Michael Keatonstars in the dark comedyBirdmanas Riggan Thomson, a washed-up actor whose most famous role, a superhero, is years behind him.He attempts to revive his career and prove he’s a serious actorand artist by writing, directing and starring in a Broadway play. When one of the play’s actors is injured, his replacement, dedicated theater aficionado Mike (Edward Norton), stirs up some chaos, and Riggan becomes increasingly stressed.
The plots ofBirdmanandThe Phoenician Schemeare very different, but they have a lot in common when it comes to their themes and tones.Both are dark comedies which deal with a man’s career and his attempts to repair his relationship with his daughter.Birdmanalso deals heavily with the subject of mental health and unravels at a frenetic pace, presented as a single continuous take as it builds to its ambiguous ending.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
4’Charade' (1963)
Directed by Stanley Donen
InCharade, Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) wishes to divorce her husband and falls for the handsome Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) while on a skiing trip in the French Alps.When she returns to Paris, she finds her husband has been murdered, and she soon finds herself being pursued by three men he had served with in World War II, all of whom were involved in discovering and taking $250,000 during the war.
Charadeis a classic genre-bending caper which has been hailed as"the best Hitchcock movie Hitchcock didn’t make.“LikeThe Phoenician Scheme,it’s a clever yet convoluted movie which deals with espionage and has plenty of twists and turns, and both films also have a similar tone and central plot.Hepburn and Grant have fantastic chemistrywith each other, and Charade also features a fantastic score fromHenry Manciniwhich perfectly captures the tone of the film.
Charade is a 1963 romantic comedy thriller directed by Stanley Donen, starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. The story follows a young woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes entangled in a web of deceit and danger after her husband’s death. With the help of a mysterious stranger, she navigates a series of twists and turns in pursuit of the truth.
3’Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Dr. Strangelovefollows U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden),a disturbed general who becomes convinced that communists in the USSR are conspiringto pollute the “precious bodily fluids” of the American population by adding fluoride to drinking water and orders a preemptive nuclear strike, while others frantically attempt to undo the damaged he’s caused.Peter Sellersstars in three different roles, including the President and the titular Dr. Strangelove, a technical advisor.
Dr. Strangeloveis hailed as one of thebest political satiresof all time, with Sellers in one (or three) of his best performances. It shares the same comedic edge asThe Phoenician Scheme, while poking fun at bureaucracy—meaning it’s also as relevant as ever.Dr. Strangeloveis also notable for being wonderfully funny as well as a sharp satire, andwhile the plots of both films are very different, they touch on the theme of power.
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 black-and-white satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb parodies the growing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Starring Peter Sellers, the plot revolves around a US Air Force general who orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union against the wishes of the government.
2’The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (2004)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Renowned but eccentric oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) seeks revenge against a rare—possibly even nonexistent—Jaguar Shark which ate his partner and sets out to find it inThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. On top of that, Zissou also has to deal with his rival, Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum), all while accompanied by his regular crew, plus Ned (Owen Wilson), who believes he’s Zissou’s son, a pregnant journalist (Cate Blanchett) and Zissou’s estranged wife, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston).
The Life Aquaticis both an entertaining adventure story and poignant drama, typical of Anderson’s films, and although critical reception was mixed, Anderson’s fans often hail it as one of his best.Both it andThe Phoenician Schemedeal with the importance of family and the complex relationships between a parent and child, as well as broken characters—although the characters in the two films are broken in very different ways.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
1’The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001)
Before separating, Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Etheline (Anjelica Huston), had three children, each extraordinary in their own right—real-estate mogul Chas (Ben Stiller), acclaimed playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), and tennis champion Richie (Luke Wilson)—inThe Royal Tenenbaums. Butdespite the children’s successes in their youth, they’re all now struggling as adults. After being estranged for years,the dysfunctional family reunitesunder one roof after Royal reveals he has a terminal illness.
It goes without saying that fans ofThe Phoenician Schemeare likely to enjoy Anderson’s other films, andThe Royal Tenenbaumsis among his most beloved and acclaimed, as it helped solidifyhis reputation for quirky charactersand unpredictable stories. The two movies share the theme of complicated family dynamics, common in Anderson’s work.The Royal Tenenbaumsis also one of Anderson’s most rewatchable films, thanks to its interesting characters and subtle storytelling.
