Starring
Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew
Goode, Anton Lesser, August Diehl. Directed by Robert Zemeckis.
(2016, 124 min).
Remember
80s and 90s when Robert Zemeckis was nearly synonymous with
conceptually ambitious "event" pictures? Some were
groundbreaking technical achievements for their time, others simply
had massive audience appeal. A few, like Who Framed Roger Rabbit
and Forrest Gump, were blessed with both. Regardless of
the film, Zemeckis had a Spielbergian knack for marrying astounding
visuals with terrific characters and compelling narratives.
That
was a long time ago. It looks now like Zemeckis is more interested in
adult-oriented drama than blockbusters. While he's more-than-earned
that right, he's experiencing some growing pains, much like Spielberg
during his Empire of the Sun and Always days.
Case-in-point, Allied is, as one would expect, technically
brilliant, and Zemeckis manages to capture many
potentially-mundane scenes in a way we haven't seen before (certainly
one of his trademarks). But sometimes his sensibilities aren't what a
film like this needs.
 |
| Best first date ever. |
Brad
Pitt plays Max Vatan, a Canadian spy working for British Intelligence
during World War II, who teams up with a member of the French
Resistance, Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard), to assassinate a
German ambassador in Casablanca. While undercover as husband and
wife, they fall in love for real. After their mission is
complete, the two return to England to marry and raise a family.
Fast-forward
a year; Max now serves the British from behind a desk while Marianne
looks after their daughter, Anna. Aside from the occasional German
air-raids, things are idyllic until Max is informed by his commanding
officers that Marianne is suspected of being a German spy. They plan
on baiting her with false intelligence (a 'blue dye' operation), and
if what they suspect turns out to be true, Max is ordered to kill her
himself. Max refuses to believe it and sets out to prove Marianne is
who she says she is, which includes going back into German-occupied territory.
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| "Honey...someone made boom-boom." |
Touted
as a romantic thriller, Allied is sometimes quite thrilling
indeed, particularly the initial assassination mission. Later, as the
story begins to unfold, the film does a good job making the audience
wonder whether or not Marianne is in cahoots with the enemy.
As for the romance...Pitt & Cotillard are certainly an attractive
couple and deliver earnest performances, but they go from zero to
madly in love with very little transition. Afterwards, their
relationship doesn't really gel like, say, Rick and Ilsa's in
Casablanca (an obvious inspiration), no matter how often they
hop between the sheets. This threatens to dampen any emotional
payoff the viewer is expecting.
Then
again, emotional resonance was never really Zemeckis' strongest suit.
Allied works best when he's clearly in his element, meaning
the film is visually arresting, with a few jaw-dropping sequences
(such as a German bomber crash in the center of London). And the
story itself is actually pretty interesting, which Zemeckis
punctuates with some expertly executed (and violent) action scenes.
So
while Allied isn't quite the emotionally-charged epic it wants
to be, it's an entertaining enough thriller to maintain interest
for two hours. It doesn't rank among Zemeckis' crowning achievements,
though compared with his more recent adult-oriented fare, this film
is much better than the inexplicably overpraised Flight. Bottom
line...Allied is worth
a watch for spy thriller fans, less so for those seeking sweeping romance.
EXTRA
KIBBLES:
FEATURETTES
(all titles are pretty self-explanatory): "The Story of
Allied"; "From Stages to Sahara: The Production
Design of Allied"; "Through the Lens: Directing with
Robert Zemeckis"; "A Stitch in Time: The Costumes of
Allied"; "'Till Death Do Us Part: Max and Marianne";
"Guys and Gals: The Ensemble Cast"; "Light, Pixels,
Action! The Visual Effects of Allied"; "Behind the
Wheel: The Vehicles of Allied"; "Locked and Loaded:
The Weapons of Allied"; "The Swingin' Sound: The
Music of Allied"
DIGITAL
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
