SummaryAllied is the story of intelligence officer Max Vatan (Brad Pitt), who in 1942 North Africa encounters French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Reunited in London, their relationship is threatened by the extreme pressures of the war.
SummaryAllied is the story of intelligence officer Max Vatan (Brad Pitt), who in 1942 North Africa encounters French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Reunited in London, their relationship is threatened by the extreme pressures of the war.
Beautiful, bold and blazing with sex and suspense, Allied is a gorgeously photographed, intensely romantic, action-packed film by the great director Robert Zemeckis with two titanic star performances by Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard that delivers something for everyone.
Zemeckis uses technology to elicit the feeling we get when we watch old favorites. It’s almost like Smell-o-Vision, but with intensified visuals instead of aromatics. Even within this highly synthetic world, Pitt and Cotillard give sturdy, coded performances that feel naturalistic, not phony.
Good movie and directing with great acting by both Brad and Marion. Not the adrenaline type (those who love actions only then this movie is not for you) and a bit slow but the suspense remains throughout though the end is lame.
Romance - 8
Action - 5
Suspense - 7
Drama - 8
Even when Allied loses its footing, there is something unmistakably touching about Zemeckis’ commitment to evoking a world so quietly, heroically out of step with the times.
Underneath all this mess there is some idea about the conflict between private love and public duty, between personal interests and those of the state, but the characters are so marginally observed by both the actors and the script there is no tension in the themes.
Wonderful script and fulfilled by great actors! I hope it wins many awards. Marion did a wonderful job, as did Bra. I went to see this movie twice! So powerful.
Allied is an at times gripping WWII thriller, quite beautifully shot and ably acted even despite the faults in the script and plot. It is therefore a good agent movie, but not a very good one.
It's not a great film. The acting is a bit underwhelming and phoned in, the plot is not that well thought-out and there is no tangible drama or tension throughout the film with a quite predictable conclusion. The actors have no chemistry and Allied feels a bit more like a love letter to Casablanca and films of that era, than an original solid movie. Now that the objective criticism is out of the way, I had a very pleasant time watching this film in the cinemas. Robert Zemeckis still knows how to make a gorgeous and beautiful looking film. I found it entertaining enough in the theatre, but probably would only recommend it for a rental.
“They don’t make movies like they use to,” is a cry you hear from older/old folks and “Allied” shows them to be right. Director Robert Zemeckis and writer Steven Knight seem to be doing homage to a certain spy thriller genre that was standard in Hollywood during the 1940s and production values from clothes, cars, sets, etc., are there but it is excruciating slow paced not having the speed, editing, that this type of movie should have. There is Casablanca, a much more glamorous Rick’s Bar, a prettier Rick here called Max while IIsa is now a French spy but no one even close to Renault/Claude Raines, Ferrari/Sidney Greenstreet, a **** Major Strassi/Conrad Veidt, Peter Lorre/Ugarte nor a Sam/Dooley Wilson to play an equivalent to “As Time Goes By”.
If you have seen the trailer you know that the movie is about two spies who fall in love when they meet for an assignment in Casablanca, marry, have a child, live in London and one has to prove the other isn’t a counter-spy. Finding out the truth takes about an hour and gives, maybe, 5 minutes of suspense and you won’t find/hear “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”.
The film revolves around Max (Brad Pitt) and Marianne (Marion Cotillard) but, sadly, there is no chemistry between them and other characters, including Lizzy Caplan (from “The Masters of Sex” HBO series), who plays Max’s Lesbian sister, don’t add anything to the movie. Okay Knight wanted to make the movie more 2016 friendly but adding a Lesbian and a lot of the “F” word doesn’t help and neither does the very phony London blitz that looks like a fireworks show.
The only emotionally moving scene is a brief one between Max and a pilot going on his first mission behind enemy lines. The ending not only has a Hollywood ending but, is way too long and softens the impact of what takes place just before.
“Allied” runs 124 minutes, about 20 minutes too long, and seems to have its heart in the right place but shows they “don’t make them like they use to” though the director and writer tried with the production aspects achieving the goal.
Not bad start but bad end. It seems that at the end of writing the script the writer have lost his imagination and logic. Not convincing, clumsy and implausible reasons prompted the heroine to betrayal. Implausible and unconvincing the reaction of her husband. The ending of the film - a failure.