There's something daring about WWII films that try to balance action
with romance. Allied doesn't only balance these two elements effortlessly,
it does so with an exuberant sense of style. Wide-eyed
viewing of the two stars is matched with high-strung tension.
viewing of the two stars is matched with high-strung tension.
Intelligence Officer, Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) is headed over to French
Morocco on a mission to assassinate a German Ambassador. Marianne
Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) is a French Resistance fighter who works
hard to maintain the illusion that she is married to Max using her natural
charm and quick-witted intelligence. It is immediately apparent that the
two stars are quickly tangled in a web of attraction for each other. In the
process of their mission, they fall for each other in picturesque fashion.
But don't let the romance fool you, within the first few scenes we are
thrown straight into the action. The plot is unravelled in moments of action
and tension that keeps a relenting pace throughout. After the
assassination, the couple flees to London where the tale takes a nice turn
as they marry and give birth to a baby girl. The blissful domestication
doesn't last long though, and things take turn for the worse when Max
is told by Special Operations that his wife, may well be a German spy.
Evidence suggests that the real Marianne was killed two years prior
but Max refuses to believe this new information. What makes matters
worse is that, if she is found to be a spy, he has been ordered to kill her,
and refusing to do so will lead to his own treason and death.
Despite there being some scratching heads over the dynamic plot, it is
mostly played out with such sweeping grandiose of internal struggle
that we can forget about any small hiccups. Brad Pitt just about pulls
off his performance as Max but there are times when the acting can
seem a little flat. Marion Cotillard, on the other hand, plays her character
incredibly well, making us second guess our self every time she is on the
screen as to if she really is a German spy or not.
Director, Robert Zemeckis has made a 21st Century film with an old
classic Hollywood feel so that the two constantly feel entwined. We
are left with a film that oozes charisma and gives us a hefty punch
of action that is mixed in with so many other elements it should be
applauded for that alone.
assassination, the couple flees to London where the tale takes a nice turn
as they marry and give birth to a baby girl. The blissful domestication
doesn't last long though, and things take turn for the worse when Max
is told by Special Operations that his wife, may well be a German spy.
Evidence suggests that the real Marianne was killed two years prior
but Max refuses to believe this new information. What makes matters
worse is that, if she is found to be a spy, he has been ordered to kill her,
and refusing to do so will lead to his own treason and death.
Despite there being some scratching heads over the dynamic plot, it is
mostly played out with such sweeping grandiose of internal struggle
that we can forget about any small hiccups. Brad Pitt just about pulls
off his performance as Max but there are times when the acting can
seem a little flat. Marion Cotillard, on the other hand, plays her character
incredibly well, making us second guess our self every time she is on the
screen as to if she really is a German spy or not.
Director, Robert Zemeckis has made a 21st Century film with an old
classic Hollywood feel so that the two constantly feel entwined. We
are left with a film that oozes charisma and gives us a hefty punch
of action that is mixed in with so many other elements it should be
applauded for that alone.
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