Allied (B+ or 3/4 stars)
In the mood for an old-fashioned, well-crafted, romantic spy drama starring Brad Pitt & Marion Cotillard? If so, then 'Allied' (directed by the great Robert Zemeckis - who's given us countless classics) fits the bill very well. In 'Allied', WWII is raging, and Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan (Brad Pitt, showing his age, but still suave for days) gets a brand new assignment. He is to meet French resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (French beauty, Marion Cotillard) in Casablanca, Morocco ... and immediately pose as her husband. After convincing a plethora of her European friends/foes with their chemistry & his not-so-perfect French accent, they settle-in in their apartment and get to know one another; the closeness & tension of the situation is palpable. In a few days time, they'll be invited to a grand party where a German ambassador will be present. Their mission ... to assassinate him.
They gun-down nearly everyone, narrowly escape, but not before they fall in love {as we see in a whirlwind sand storm inside a car -- I was reminded of a similar seen in 1996's The English Patient}. So almost immediately, they move to London, marry, & have a baby girl together. Life is good, great even. That is until Max is conspicuously called into headquarters. There, he is told that his wife is actually a double agent/spy who's been sending covert information over to the Germans. But he refuses to believe this nonsense. He believes Marianne is innocent {or certainly hopes she is}, and embarks upon a dangerous mission to find someone who knew the 'real' Marianne Beausejour to confirm that she's actually is who she SAYS she is. If it becomes apparent that she really IS a double agent, then he is required to execute her ... or face the consequences.
Evoking 1943's Casablanca, Robert Zemeckis proves with this wartime romance that he's still a highly skilled craftsman. Sure, he's given us the likes of Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Forrest Gump, Contact, & Cast Away (all of which contain high-tech visual effect wizardry). But with the recent Flight & The Walk, Zemeckis has embarked on a new chapter of his career. Yes, there are some visual effects here, but with Allied, he's focusing more so on intriguing narratives, character interaction, & their emotions/longings. Simply put, 'Allied' is more conventional, but not all that less effective as a motion picture. Who doesn't love a traditional war film chock full of pensive stares, tension, undercover intrigue, forbidden love, espionage, & betrayals? I'd have liked aspects to be better than they are, but as is, it's a solid entertainment.
Allied is beautifully constructed, with polished camerawork, as well as stellar period production design, stunning costumes, & evocative music. It just looks & feels like a film that would be MAJOR a good 20 years ago, and even bigger back in the heyday of Old Hollywood. As mentioned, there is a love scene in a car in the middle of a desert sandstorm that is beautiful, & requires some of that visual effect wizardry that Zemeckis used to employ. I liked a scene in which Max covertly watched Marianne undress. Another great set piece includes a raucous party sequence at Max & Marianne's flat in London; said sequence is loaded with fears, paranoia, & revelations -- it's pretty engaging stuff.
Marion Cotillard & Brad Pitt are movie stars. And in the 1940s attire, they're somehow even more perfect looking than usual. Pitt comes across a little stiff, in parts {like his upper lip}. But overall, I was impressed with the rattled-nerves he exposes, as well as the intensity of his search to find out if his wife has betrayed him. Marion Cotillard, on the other hand, is perfect. Her look, her charisma; the emotions she conveys at every step of the way ... I was transfixed. And you could tell that the packed audience I saw it with fell for her, too. How could you not? Her appeal is timeless. Jared Harris (as Max's commander) & Lizzy Caplan (as Max's lesbian sister) offer support in smaller roles. Now, I almost wish this film were a good 20-30 minutes longer than it was; the Casablanca section felt a bit truncated, and some deeper interactions btwn. Pitt & Cotillard would have put a real stamp on their chemistry. So yeah, despite some shortcomings, 'Allied' still offers 2 hours of escapist entertainment with smashing-looking leads, exotic locales, romance & suspense. For me, it's always nice to see a film "like the ones they used to make".
They gun-down nearly everyone, narrowly escape, but not before they fall in love {as we see in a whirlwind sand storm inside a car -- I was reminded of a similar seen in 1996's The English Patient}. So almost immediately, they move to London, marry, & have a baby girl together. Life is good, great even. That is until Max is conspicuously called into headquarters. There, he is told that his wife is actually a double agent/spy who's been sending covert information over to the Germans. But he refuses to believe this nonsense. He believes Marianne is innocent {or certainly hopes she is}, and embarks upon a dangerous mission to find someone who knew the 'real' Marianne Beausejour to confirm that she's actually is who she SAYS she is. If it becomes apparent that she really IS a double agent, then he is required to execute her ... or face the consequences.
Evoking 1943's Casablanca, Robert Zemeckis proves with this wartime romance that he's still a highly skilled craftsman. Sure, he's given us the likes of Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Forrest Gump, Contact, & Cast Away (all of which contain high-tech visual effect wizardry). But with the recent Flight & The Walk, Zemeckis has embarked on a new chapter of his career. Yes, there are some visual effects here, but with Allied, he's focusing more so on intriguing narratives, character interaction, & their emotions/longings. Simply put, 'Allied' is more conventional, but not all that less effective as a motion picture. Who doesn't love a traditional war film chock full of pensive stares, tension, undercover intrigue, forbidden love, espionage, & betrayals? I'd have liked aspects to be better than they are, but as is, it's a solid entertainment.
Allied is beautifully constructed, with polished camerawork, as well as stellar period production design, stunning costumes, & evocative music. It just looks & feels like a film that would be MAJOR a good 20 years ago, and even bigger back in the heyday of Old Hollywood. As mentioned, there is a love scene in a car in the middle of a desert sandstorm that is beautiful, & requires some of that visual effect wizardry that Zemeckis used to employ. I liked a scene in which Max covertly watched Marianne undress. Another great set piece includes a raucous party sequence at Max & Marianne's flat in London; said sequence is loaded with fears, paranoia, & revelations -- it's pretty engaging stuff.
Marion Cotillard & Brad Pitt are movie stars. And in the 1940s attire, they're somehow even more perfect looking than usual. Pitt comes across a little stiff, in parts {like his upper lip}. But overall, I was impressed with the rattled-nerves he exposes, as well as the intensity of his search to find out if his wife has betrayed him. Marion Cotillard, on the other hand, is perfect. Her look, her charisma; the emotions she conveys at every step of the way ... I was transfixed. And you could tell that the packed audience I saw it with fell for her, too. How could you not? Her appeal is timeless. Jared Harris (as Max's commander) & Lizzy Caplan (as Max's lesbian sister) offer support in smaller roles. Now, I almost wish this film were a good 20-30 minutes longer than it was; the Casablanca section felt a bit truncated, and some deeper interactions btwn. Pitt & Cotillard would have put a real stamp on their chemistry. So yeah, despite some shortcomings, 'Allied' still offers 2 hours of escapist entertainment with smashing-looking leads, exotic locales, romance & suspense. For me, it's always nice to see a film "like the ones they used to make".