Yet another example of poor marketing, Allied is one of those brilliant pictures that people aren't going to like because they have very specific expectations. Whether you go in wanting another Mr. & Mrs. Smith or some epic wartime romance, you will leave disappointed. If, however, you take it for what it is, it proves an intoxicatingly paranoid vision of marriage under extraordinary pressure. And while the film features several big-budget Robert Zemeckis trademark effects shots, his understanding of the relationships at its heart is made hauntingly clear.
In two knockout performances, Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard play two spies in French Morocco on a secret mission against the Nazi ambassador. While falling in love against their own better judgement, the Canadian Max and French Marianne successfully complete their mission and flee with their lives to London, where they marry and live happily ever after. The specter of war, as we know, did not leave London unscathed, however, and as the Blitz terrorizes the city, we learn from Max's commanders (Jared Harris and Simon McBurney) that Marianne is suspected of being a German spy. The mother of his child, he argues, is no such thing, but when the commander reveals suggestive information that their previous mission was not as it seemed, Max is ordered to lay a trap for his wife. The rest of the film follows the tortured Max as he alternately seeks the truth and denies the possibility that his wife is unfaithful to him and to country.
It's a slow-burner of the most excruciating kind. If you go in wanting smash-bang firefights, quick wit, and steamy sex, you may feel let down. If, however, you go in wanting damn impressive design work and period detail, a few thrilling moments of horror, and an unusually well-acted romance, this movie will stick with you for a long time. With the exception of a languid ending, predictable and almost ludicrously sentimental, the film keeps things taut and raw. Zemeckis perfects what he tried to do in What Lies Beneath. Grounded and only slightly stylized as only he can do, the director focuses our attention on the shaky balance between domesticity and what Freud called the unheimlich, that which is mysteriously familiar or uncanny.
Of course, we do have some fierce action scenes, notably during the Blitz. The last time I saw a terrifying Blitz sequence was in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and this one ranks with that. the assassination scene also doesn't disappoint, and its surprisingly violent execution sets up the brutality that we should expect in the climax. Unfortunately, that climax is nothing of the sort, and despite the awful writing during the last twenty minutes or so, Zemeckis does his best to keep things romantic and exciting. He only partially succeeds.
Hitchcockian in the best way, Allied will leave you hungry for another period thriller. I'd recommend, well, Hitchcock's Notorious, and argue that Marion Cotillard (in case you didn't already know) is basically the ultimate old-school leading lady. Every time we see her on screen, she gracefully steals the shot in gorgeous costumes and with a beguiling eye, an arresting presence and furious command of timing. It's the goddess in her element, and it's fabulous. Pitt, on the other hand, feels like he's gone back in time: Virile and strong, youthful and engaging, it feels like he hasn't aged at all, if you ignore the last seven years of his movies. Most important, he's still got it where it counts, and if you want some nice steam heat this winter, go on and check out this picture. The two of them lounging on a Casablanca rooftop or getting busy in their car amid a sandstorm certainly keep things hot in an otherwise chilly movie.
IMDb: Allied
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