Review of Allied (2016) by Doreen S — 26 Dec 2016

Allied.

When I saw the trailer for Allied for the first time I knew I had to watch the movie. The story sounded intriguing and lets face it - its no hardship to watch Brad Pitt on the screen, big, small or otherwise. The man certainly is ageing well.

Spoiler Alert!

This is an in depth review of the movie. Please be aware that I discuss the story, therefore some spoilers are inevitable. Read on at your own discretion.

As I sat down to watch the movie I thought that I knew what was going to happen. I was wrong. I did not know. It is a beautifully scripted and executed story with multiple layers that are interwoven to complete the picture in an unexpected way.

The story.

Set in a time of great peril Allied tells the story of Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beausejour, played by Marion Cotillard. They are thrown together on a secret mission to assassinate the German Ambassador in Casablanca, Morocco in the midst of World War 2. Their cover story has them pose as husband and wife.

While they prepare for their mission they grow close and fall in love. Once the Ambassador is out of the way Max asks her to come to London with him to be his real wife. He serves in the army head quarter as a wing commander with the Canadian Air Force. Their daughter is born during an air raid, with debris flying all around them. They settle into a blissfully happy life. Nothing seems to stand in the way of their happiness.

Until the day when Max gets called into the office and is informed that Marianne is suspected to be a German double agent. He is tasked to run a 'blue dye' on her or face to be executed for treason himself. He is to feed her false information and entrap the woman he loves so desperately.

The two characters met on a secret spy mission. It is ironic that their happiness is threatened by the accusation of her being a double agent for the enemy.

Final thoughts.

Brad Pitt gives an outstanding performance in his portrayal of a man who is about to loose everything he holds dear. At first disbelieving he battles his arising doubts and distrust as he sets out to prove Marianne's innocence.

Marion Cotillard is wonderful in her role of the beautiful and brave resistance fighter who wants nothing more than to settle down with her husband and their child. It is the first movie I have seen with her in, as far as I am aware of, and I am really impressed by her performance I have to say. I am looking forward to seeing her next in January, when she has a role in Assassin's Creed together with Michael Fassbender.

Allied is about the age old saying that love conquers all. It is a story about a time full of violence and war. In a time when enemies are fierce and stakes are high, we see the story unfold in front of a haunting background. It reminds me a bit of the iconic movie Casablanca, in more ways than one. They don't make movies like that anymore very often.

Luckily Paramount made Allied. It is a timeless story that will become a classic one day. I'm sure of it. It certainly deserves it.