Perhaps only Wes Anderson would have the audacity to cast Bill Murray as God.

He’s also among the few people who could pull it off — without seeming blasphemous or just plain silly.

In fact, the latest from this idiosyncratic filmmaker — The Phoenician Scheme — winds up charting a similarly surprising spiritual journey: It actually has a Judeo-Christian worldview.

For those who don’t follow modern movies, Anderson is the instantly recognizable auteur behind such quirky films as The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel and the animated Isle of Dogs.

With his richly lit colors, sedate pacing, deadpan humor, understated acting and (especially) spare, squarish visuals, Anderson is something of an acquired taste; but I think this new film — though it has all that, along with the usual eye-popping cast — is among his most accessible.

Set in the 1950s, Phoenician follows the selfish and avaricious tycoon Anatole Z. Korda (Benicio del Toro) in his titular plan to combine several industrial initiatives into a massive money-making scheme. Problem is, Korda has been so ruthless that he is now the subject of repeated assassination attempts, several of which involve blowing up his private, two-engine plane.

Most of these leave the man so close to death that he actually enters a silvery-black-and-white afterlife, where he’s confronted with some of his misdeeds — like a 20th-century Ebenezer Scrooge. (This is where Murray’s moment comes in, and despite my respect for the second commandment, I felt Anderson handled it with care and respect: brief, Scriptural and played utterly straight.)

So, Korda seems to be developing a conscience, part of which involves reconnecting with his only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton) — and trying to set her up as his heir.

It’s gratifying to see what a pleasant, down-to-earth conclusion Anderson arranges out of all these complicated machinations. But even before that, what makes this film especially relatable is the relative warmth of the acting and the characters. Del Toro plays tough, but there’s a growing twinkle of humanity that shows through — and the ascetic Liesl likewise gets softer as the plot proceeds. (The actress, incidentally, is Kate Winslet’s daughter.)

The rest of the cast (most appearing briefly) includes Michael Cera, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Willem Dafoe, Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johanssen — among many others.

Another aspect that sets this apart from much of Anderson’s work: The thing is laugh-out-loud funny, with some truly priceless dialog:

“I don’t know these terrorists. Must come from out of town.”

“I’ve been shot, but my diplomatic credentials slowed it down.”

As a sample of Korda’s personality: “Why would anyone do something I didn’t tell them to?” … “Break but don’t bend.” … “I don’t need my human rights.”

And then there’s the delightfully recurring, “Help yourself to a hand grenade.”

These snippets will give you some idea whether Phoenician Scheme is your cup of cinematic tea. Personally, except for 2012’s lovely and charming Moonrise Kingdom, I liked it best of Anderson’s work — and I loved it even more on my second viewing.

Try it once and see what you think.