The Phoenician Scheme is a lifeless satire while The Life Of Chuck uplifts

In 1950, the corrupt and internationally reviled millionaire Anatole "Zsa-zsa" Korda (Benicio del Toro) is looking to cement his legacy with a massive construction project in the nation of Greater Independent Phoenicia.

- John Lui

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (NC16) 110 minutes, opens today ★★☆☆☆

The story: However, the tycoon is beset by those seeking his downfall, among them various governments, members of his family and business partners he has betrayed. After surviving a plane crash — the latest in a string of assassination attempts — Korda reconnects with his convent-raised daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), hoping that she will continue his work in case the assassins succeed. Father and daughter, accompanied by Norwegian tutor Bjorn (Michael Cera), head overseas to raise money for the project.

When billionaires today get nostalgic about returning the world to a Golden Age, they are thinking about the time when the ultra-rich did the things they do today — sire offspring by as many women as they can, topple and install governments, build empires on the backs of forced labour — but without the annoyance of officials carping about alimony, child support or paying workers a living wage. Korda is American film-maker Wes Anderson's cartoonishly exaggerated version of the 1950s tycoon. The scoundrel has fobbed off his many children to a dormitory that houses them in pauperish conditions. A few of his former wives have died under mysterious circumstances, including Liesl's mother. He cares nothing for his kin. All he worries about is his legacy, the project of the film's title.