Allied - directed by Robert Zemeckis
This is an oddity of a film.
Not because of anything in the film itself - more that in this day and age it exists at all.
It wouldn't be surprising were this a low budget independent and / or a foreign film but as a big budget ($85,000,000) studio production this sort of film doesn't get made too often.
It is in safe hands of course with director Robert Zemeckis and stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.
Maybe it is my Zemeckis bias talking but I always look forward to his films.
He picks projects that usually appeal to me and I am pretty safe in assuming I will get at least one jaw-dropping shot or sequence.
Exhibit A here would be the stunning impossible reverse shot from "Contact" (more detail here)
I would be the first to admit that Zemeckis' last movie "The Walk" was less than great but it wasn't too bad either.
With "Allied" however I feel that he has returned to form.
The plot here is that Brad Pitt's Wing Commander Max Vatan parachutes into French Morocco in war torn 1942 to meet up with a resistance contact named Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard).
They will play husband and wife while they set up and execute a daring raid against some damned horrible Nazi's (not that there is any other kind)
The twist here though is that after making it back to London, getting married and popping out a kid Marianne is suspected of being a German spy.
Max is instructed to deal with it should the suspicion be proved correct.
It's a sort of Hitchcockian / David Lean / Casablanca romance of the sort that were made in the era that those names are synonymous with.
I don't want to play up the "Casablanca" side too much - it's really just a location, costume or referential bit of dialogue here and there - thematically and tonally the films are not at all in the same ballpark.
But there is considerable tension and intrigue contained within this rather good romantic drama.
And I did get my expected impressive Zemeckis shots.
The opening of the movie provides one such impressive shot in fact.
Over a slow pan of the Moroccan desert Max drifts down onto the sand via parachute.
In one shot we are introduced to Brad Pitt.
Pitt is really good in this film too.
He has total command of the film and looks the part in the war scenes every bit as much as he does in the romantic scenes when he and Cotillard fall in love (or do they?!)
Cotillard, it is no surprise to find is also superb,
I have always felt that she is almost a throwback to the golden era of Hollywood films so for me she slots into this film just perfectly.
Her stunning beauty is demanded by a plot that requires that Marianne and Max fall in love in a relatively short time frame but it is her ability to subtly suggest character traits that may or not be there that really sells her side of the romance.
We spend quite some time in relative calm with the duo and it is not dull for a second.
When required however Zemeckis lets rip with some pretty great World War 2 action set pieces.
The raid that Max and Marianne stage is equal parts action and tension.
There are also a couple of other visually impressive sequences featuring an air raid and a resistance operation.
Zemeckis once again shows how good he is at pacing a film and "Allied" feels like it is just the right length.
His choice of shots and edits is also terrific.
There is no overtly flashy stuff going on but plenty is very, very clever.
I spotted numerous shots that I knew must be visual effects work (that opening shot... a scene where Pitt lands an aeroplane in one shot) but they were seamless.
I loved the sex scene in a car in a sandstorm - superbly well done.
Zemeckis is a master with visual effects of course with a cv littered with things like "Forrest Gump", "Death Becomes Her" and the "Back to the Future" movies.
While this is perhaps not up there with most of those on the list I still liked it a whole lot.
Much of the appeal is in the mystery of whether Marianne is really a spy and how Max is going to act either way.
Obviously I will not be spoiling anything here but I will say that I was satisfied with the ending.
I look forward to watching this film again at some point to look for things that maybe hint at later events or clue the viewer in somehow.
It is cleverly put together for sure.
There is nothing in the script that defies belief or stretches credulity and this feels spot on for the era and the subject matter.
A lot of credit needs to go to the production design which is fantastic at providing authentic looking locations, costumes and weapons and vehicles of the time.
And frequent Zemeckis collaborator Alan Silvestri's score is brilliant. It doesn't dominate the film but makes its presence known by complementing the on screen action - not talking over it.
Perhaps most important is the chemistry and performances of Pitt and Cotillard.
I loved their work in this film from the early scenes when they hardly know each other but have a clear connection to the late scenes when they have spent a lot of time together as legitimate husband and wife.
"Allied" is thoroughly enjoyable if you are hankering for something a little smarter and subtler than the usual big star, big director fare.
It's romantic, thrilling, tense and touching and it is top notch stuff.
RATING: 80 / 100
CONCLUSION: A great romance-drama with a decent quote of suspense to boot. Authentic production design, great performances from the leads and excellent work from Zemeckis make this very rewarding viewing.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Lizzy Caplan, Jared Harris, Simon McBurney, Matthew Goode, Xavier De Guillebon, Camille Cottin, Vincent LaTorre, August Diehl, Anton Blake, Charlotte Hope
Screenplay: Steven Knight
Music Score by: Alan Silvestri
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Edited by: Mick Audsley & Jeremiah O'Driscoll
Running Time: 120 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Violence, Brief toplessness, Mild sex scenes, profanity
Running Time: 120 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Violence, Brief toplessness, Mild sex scenes, profanity
Not because of anything in the film itself - more that in this day and age it exists at all.
It wouldn't be surprising were this a low budget independent and / or a foreign film but as a big budget ($85,000,000) studio production this sort of film doesn't get made too often.
It is in safe hands of course with director Robert Zemeckis and stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.
Maybe it is my Zemeckis bias talking but I always look forward to his films.
He picks projects that usually appeal to me and I am pretty safe in assuming I will get at least one jaw-dropping shot or sequence.
Exhibit A here would be the stunning impossible reverse shot from "Contact" (more detail here)
I would be the first to admit that Zemeckis' last movie "The Walk" was less than great but it wasn't too bad either.
With "Allied" however I feel that he has returned to form.
The plot here is that Brad Pitt's Wing Commander Max Vatan parachutes into French Morocco in war torn 1942 to meet up with a resistance contact named Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard).
They will play husband and wife while they set up and execute a daring raid against some damned horrible Nazi's (not that there is any other kind)
The twist here though is that after making it back to London, getting married and popping out a kid Marianne is suspected of being a German spy.
Max is instructed to deal with it should the suspicion be proved correct.
It's a sort of Hitchcockian / David Lean / Casablanca romance of the sort that were made in the era that those names are synonymous with.
I don't want to play up the "Casablanca" side too much - it's really just a location, costume or referential bit of dialogue here and there - thematically and tonally the films are not at all in the same ballpark.
But there is considerable tension and intrigue contained within this rather good romantic drama.
And I did get my expected impressive Zemeckis shots.
Over a slow pan of the Moroccan desert Max drifts down onto the sand via parachute.
In one shot we are introduced to Brad Pitt.
Pitt is really good in this film too.
He has total command of the film and looks the part in the war scenes every bit as much as he does in the romantic scenes when he and Cotillard fall in love (or do they?!)
Cotillard, it is no surprise to find is also superb,
I have always felt that she is almost a throwback to the golden era of Hollywood films so for me she slots into this film just perfectly.
Her stunning beauty is demanded by a plot that requires that Marianne and Max fall in love in a relatively short time frame but it is her ability to subtly suggest character traits that may or not be there that really sells her side of the romance.
We spend quite some time in relative calm with the duo and it is not dull for a second.
The raid that Max and Marianne stage is equal parts action and tension.
There are also a couple of other visually impressive sequences featuring an air raid and a resistance operation.
Zemeckis once again shows how good he is at pacing a film and "Allied" feels like it is just the right length.
His choice of shots and edits is also terrific.
There is no overtly flashy stuff going on but plenty is very, very clever.
I spotted numerous shots that I knew must be visual effects work (that opening shot... a scene where Pitt lands an aeroplane in one shot) but they were seamless.
I loved the sex scene in a car in a sandstorm - superbly well done.
Zemeckis is a master with visual effects of course with a cv littered with things like "Forrest Gump", "Death Becomes Her" and the "Back to the Future" movies.
While this is perhaps not up there with most of those on the list I still liked it a whole lot.
Obviously I will not be spoiling anything here but I will say that I was satisfied with the ending.
I look forward to watching this film again at some point to look for things that maybe hint at later events or clue the viewer in somehow.
It is cleverly put together for sure.
There is nothing in the script that defies belief or stretches credulity and this feels spot on for the era and the subject matter.
A lot of credit needs to go to the production design which is fantastic at providing authentic looking locations, costumes and weapons and vehicles of the time.
And frequent Zemeckis collaborator Alan Silvestri's score is brilliant. It doesn't dominate the film but makes its presence known by complementing the on screen action - not talking over it.
Perhaps most important is the chemistry and performances of Pitt and Cotillard.
I loved their work in this film from the early scenes when they hardly know each other but have a clear connection to the late scenes when they have spent a lot of time together as legitimate husband and wife.
"Allied" is thoroughly enjoyable if you are hankering for something a little smarter and subtler than the usual big star, big director fare.
It's romantic, thrilling, tense and touching and it is top notch stuff.
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