The Phoenician Scheme opens in 1950 with Anatole "Zsa-Zsa" Korda, an arms dealer and industrialist, narrowly surviving an assassination attempt. As he lies unconscious, the scene shifts to a surreal afterlife courtroom where divine judges weigh his worthiness for Heaven. This ethereal interlude sets a strange, contemplative tone, hinting at Korda’s precarious grip on life and morality.

Korda awakens determined to make amends with his estranged only daughter, Sister Liesl, a Catholic novice. Their relationship is tense; he had sent her away to a convent at age five and is rumored to have murdered her mother—allegations he denies. Korda urgently asks Liesl to abandon her religious vocation and take over his business empire, believing she is the only one who can sustain his risky ambitions. Liesl resists but is drawn into his sphere, especially as she meets Bjørn, a mild-mannered Norwegian entomologist who acts as Korda’s assistant and tutor.

Amid mounting global opposition to Korda’s unethical dealings, he embarks on a grandiose and morally dubious infrastructure project to modernize the fictional country of Phoenicia using slave labor. Meanwhile, a government agent named Excalibur secretly manipulates market factors, causing the price of building materials to soar and threatening to derail Korda’s ambitious plans.

Korda rallies his investors in a series of vividly tense and darkly comedic scenes. He meets with Californians Leland and Reagan, slyly tricking them into increasing their financial obligations through a deceptive contract alteration. In another fraught encounter, he blackmails Marseille Bob, a French nightclub owner, leveraging secrets to secure funds. Korda also resorts to threatening East Coast businessman Marty with a suicide bombing to extract more capital. Though furious, the investors grudgingly agree to cover only half of the shortfall, setting the stage for a desperate final push.

The personal dynamics between Korda, Liesl, and Bjørn intensify amid these financial and ethical crises. Liesl’s internal conflict grows, torn between her spiritual values and familial loyalty. Bjørn serves as a calm, steady presence, tutoring and supporting Liesl as they navigate the dangerous machinations of global power brokers and assassins targeting Korda.

Following another assassination attempt by his half-brother Nublar, Korda faces the collapse of his financial empire. The pivotal moment arrives when Korda chooses to finance the Phoenician scheme himself, accepting bankruptcy rather than abandoning his vision. Crucially, influenced by Liesl’s moral stance, he commits to paying his workers fair wages, rejecting the initially planned slave labor.

The film’s resolution finds Korda and Liesl downsized from a grand mansion—sold to cover debts—to a modest home they share with Korda’s young sons. Liesl embraces a secular life, becoming a nurturing older sister figure, while Bjørn tutors the boys. Korda operates a humble bistro where Liesl works as a waitress. In a quietly intimate scene, Bjørn proposes; Liesl accepts, signaling personal renewal beyond past estrangements.

The closing moments show Korda and Liesl in the bistro’s back room, finishing their day by playing cards and sharing stories. Despite their loss of wealth, they experience a profound bond and contentment grounded in family and the small joys of life.

From a viewer’s perspective, the narrative is a visceral journey through greed, redemption, and fractured family ties, wrapped in Wes Anderson’s signature blend of eccentricity and dark humor. The story’s heartbeat is the evolving, complex relationship between Korda and Liesl, moving from bitterness and estrangement toward mutual understanding and warmth, set against high-stakes international intrigue and existential reckoning.

Anatole 'Zsa-Zsa' Korda and his daughter Liesl have a strained and complex relationship. Korda sent Liesl away to a convent at age five, and there are rumors he murdered Liesl's mother, which he denies. Liesl is a Catholic novice who initially refuses but then agrees on a trial basis to take over Korda's business. Their relationship is testy, marked by distrust and differing moral compasses, but they eventually bond through the course of the story.

The 'Phoenician Scheme' is a convoluted and risky business plan devised by Korda to industrialize the Phoenician region. It involves a complex web of business dealings, including infrastructure projects like canals, rail tunnels, and power plants, with the goal of expanding Korda's wealth. The scheme controversially includes the use of slave labor and aims for a five percent return over 150 years. Korda needs to secure investment from various powerful and unscrupulous investors to fund the plan.

Korda faces opposition from multiple fronts: governments worldwide that want to stop his unethical business practices; a secret council of bureaucrats conspiring to drive him out of business by manipulating the price of building materials; and his own powerful enemies including banks, industry titans, and national governments. Additionally, a government agent named Excalibur conspires to bankrupt Korda by driving up the cost of materials. Korda also contends with betrayal and assassination attempts, including from his half-brother Nublar.

Liesl, Korda's estranged daughter and a Catholic novice, is summoned by Korda to take over his business on a trial basis despite her initial reluctance. Bjørn, a Norwegian entomologist, serves as Korda's administrative assistant. Both accompany Korda as he attempts to secure investment and navigate the dangerous and complex business dealings of the Phoenician Scheme. Their involvement is central to the unfolding of the plot and the development of Korda's character.

The story features several dramatic and action-packed scenes including an assassination attempt on Korda, revolutionaries robbing a swanky club and firing guns wildly, a plane passenger discovering a bomb, a threat with a grenade, a person falling into quicksand, a pilot's drink being poisoned, a woman slapping a man, two men engaging in a brief fight, an assassin taking a suicide pill, and a child firing crossbow bolts at his father. These events contribute to the tense and suspenseful atmosphere of the film.

The movie The Phoenician Scheme (2025) is rated PG-13 and is designed mainly for mature audiences, so it is not fully family friendly, especially for young children or very sensitive viewers.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting content includes:

• Scenes involving violence, such as a hotel being shot up by revolutionaries, with characters talking matter-of-factly about robbery and gunfire.
• Themes of crime, terrorism, and assassination attempts as part of the story about wealthy business and scheming tycoons.
• Emotional tension and occasional anger, especially involving conflicts between father and daughter, plus some morally complex and mature thematic elements.
• Some religious content with positive Christian references (a nun-in-training daughter, a Mother Superior figure), but also questioning material related to faith and materialism.

The movie mixes quirky deadpan comedy and dark dramatic moments that include shooting and criminal schemes, so sensitive children might find some scenes disturbing or confusing. The tone is often dry and ironic rather than lighthearted, with complex emotional undercurrents and existential themes related to legacy and family bonds.

In summary, The Phoenician Scheme is better suited for teenagers and adults comfortable with moderate violence, mature themes, and thought-provoking content, and is not recommended for young children or very sensitive viewers.

In the 2025 film The Phoenician Scheme, several characters face life-threatening situations, including multiple assassination attempts, but no main characters are explicitly confirmed to die on-screen or as part of the plot. Anatole "Zsa-Zsa" Korda, the arms dealer protagonist, narrowly survives an assassination attempt early in the film and several plane crashes later, often appearing bruised and bloody but ultimately surviving each incident.

There are violent encounters such as a cartoonish brawl culminating in an explosion and references to shootings, but specific deaths are not clearly detailed in the available information. The main antagonist and Korda’s half-brother Nublar attempts to assassinate him, but Korda survives this as well.

Korda admits to employing violent men and admits some responsibility in the death of the mother of his daughter Liesl, although he denies personally killing anyone himself. Liesl herself does not die, and she survives through the story, developing a complicated relationship with her father.

Thus, while violence and death are referenced, no principal characters are confirmed dead during the events of the film according to the known plot summaries and reviews. The various assassination attempts on Korda and others end unsuccessfully, making survival a recurring theme for the central characters.