Allied (2016) Review!!!

Synopsis – In 1942, an intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.

My Take – I am a huge fan of director Robert Zemeckis!! With films such as Back to the Future (I, II, III), Forrest Gump, What Lies Beneath, Contact, Cast Away, Flight & most recently the under rated The Walk, there is no denying that Zemeckis has been one of the most sought out director for nearly three decades. The result, I had high hopes for this WWII thriller, which incidentally stars two of the biggest actors working right now – Brad Pitt & Marion Cotillard. With this interesting combination, a perfect setting and some high budgeted VFX, this film seemed like the right material to be an Oscar contender. Well, after watching it, I am quite sure that It wont be able to to achieve those aspirations even though this film is clearly worth a watch. Also with this film, director Zemeckis and writer Steven Knight (Locke, Eastern Promise, Pawn Sacrifice) deliver their blatant homage to Casablanca (1942) with an identical setting, nearly identical costumes, and the re-use of a song which played such a crucial role in the proceedings of the film. We have certainly seen a few different “spy” films over the last couple of years; some more about espionage and others more about the drama that ensues afterwards. Fortunately, the film feels like a genuine spy film that actually contains espionage, but without the high octane action, twists & style. This one has offers a dose of each blended with some romance and a vital “is she or isn’t she” plot, something which works and doesn’t work in the favor of the setting, concomitantly affecting the pace of the film.

The story follows Canadian intelligence officer and RAF pilot Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) during WWII. Sent to the famous city of Casablanca in French Morocco, Vatan is teamed up with French resistance movement leader Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) to assassinate the Nazi ambassador. Impressed by her ability to so effectively blend in and create her authentic cover, Vatan soon finds himself falling in love with his partner. Following the assassination of a Nazi ambassador, Beausejour and Vatan flee to London, get married & start their life together. Everything is going beautifully for the happy couple in their second year of marriage with a child when Vatan’s superiors confront him with the suspicion that Marianne is in fact a Nazi spy. Refusing to believe it to be true, Max must now conduct his own investigation into his wife’s history to protect the ones he loves so dearly. Even though I enjoyed the film for the most part, I do feel like that the advertising for it was misleading. This film can be easily divided into 2 halves. The second half is the spy thriller that you see in the trailers, the first half is completely different though. It’s more of a romantic drama. Both of these parts work but I found the spy thriller part to be far more interesting. The ingredients are there with two A-list actors, the setting is beautiful and the story is suitably epic. It shows how the main characters meet and react to each other with the difficult task ahead of them. There was some interesting tension and cinematic moments that can be appreciated. It was paced really well even with quite a few dialogue sections with some exposition but those moments were juxtaposed with some moments with real tension. But I still had a hard time getting invested. I was always engaged with what Pitt and Cotillard were doing but because the film is not written all that well, even they couldn’t totally pull off flat dialogue. Taking that into consideration, it’s difficult to truly care about the main characters in the climax, if you weren’t all that into their romance in the first place. I tried hard to care about their relationship throughout the film, but the park wasn’t there. However, the film is not without it outstanding elements. It benefits from solid acting and beautiful cinematography as well as some fantastic symbolism. Robert Zemeckis‘ talent for visual storytelling is clearly visible in this period film. Something I found very interesting about this film is that while it’s not primarily a war film, it did provide a very interesting look at what life was like for people. This was a time when people partied like the world was ending. Drinks, drugs, sex, etc. But this was also a time when people sometimes watched planes get shot out of the sky. It’s a fascinatingly personal way of portraying the war, and the people living through it.

The first thing that you notice here is how the film wants to transport you back into 1940s. It’s easy to be impressed with how cool the film looks, the wardrobe and the set design are beautiful. I really like watching period pieces for that sense of escape. The CGI in the film looks good at points like the ground views on the aerial battles but sub par in others like at the beginning when Brad Pitt is parachuting in. Some people would be quick to criticize the film for this but it is a gorgeous looking film for the most part and you can climb into this time in history that much easier. There’s also some tight and brutal action sequences throughout the film. It all builds to an ending that completely caught me off guard and I applaud it for that. This film is old-fashioned in the way that it touches so many different genres at once and although I’m willing to say that while some were done better than others, when the film works, it really works well. The weakness here is the ability to successfully leave a lasting emotional impact on the audience is in the writing of Steven Knight. For films that are not as much about the spectacle as they are the drama between characters and the challenge faced therein, it is vitally important that the personal/interpersonal relationships transcend the screen and directly impact the audience. The problem lies in the limited time we are given to learn how Max and Marianne really feel for each other. That’s primarily because their relationship maintains a single tone while faking it and even after they are blissfully married. What could have worked is allowing their intimacy to develop enough for us to care about them. All the makings were there for a deeply moving cinematic story, but it just doesn’t quite make that transition from the mostly superficial and distant. What greatly works is the outstanding production quality that hearkens back to the golden age of Hollywood. Weakness in the script aside, the film is still a spectacle with equal doses of suspense, drama and action. His reputation for fantastic visual effects and fleshed out characters notwithstanding, Zemeckis can be credited with a near perfect war era film when viewed solely as an espionage thriller. Perhaps even a perfect one if the source material was a John le Carré novel. Even so, there is plenty to keep you on edge – even if that means watching a baby being born under the blitz. Performance wise, Brad Pitt, in his third WWII based role, portrays the spy quite well bringing elegance, distraught and romance to his role. Marion Cotillard is stellar in her role. She flashes a warm and beautiful smile that expertly masks her true persona. The nuance and subtlety of her performance is quite impressive. In supporting roles, Jared Harris & Lizzy Caplan stand out. On the whole, ‘Allied’ is a decent yet duplicitous & suspenseful film which despite the absence of a polished script is worth a watch for his design & performances.