REVIEW: Allied

During World World II , two spies, Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard), fall in love and get married, only for Max to be told later on by British secret services, that his wife is not what he thought she was, writes Grace Kinsey.

The opening of Allied (directed by Robert Zemeckis) sets the scene perfectly for a Hollywood spy movie. The year is 1942. A turban-clad Brad Pitt stands in a desert, awaiting a ride to Casablana.

A motor car driven by a silent Moroccan approaches. Pitt gets in and the driver hands him a wedding band, telling him: 'look for the hummingbird'.

There is no doubt, then, about what we ought to expect from this film. It will be big and glossy and glamorous. There will be stealthy murders, double agents and narrow escapes.

Allied certainly provides everything listed above, and it does so with a self-awareness which, without turning a serious story into a parody, is responsible for some funny moments. Particularly amusing is Max's spontaneous and extended display of his deftness with a pack of cards.

The audience can also expect romance to feature in Allied, thanks to its obvious connections with Casablanca.

In fact, the relationship between Max and Marianne is the most important aspect of the film, whilst the rest of the action slips into the background.

Throughout the film there is a quietness, especially during moments of intimacy and tension between Max and Marianne, which is more striking than the intermittent noise of explosive scenes, such as when Marianne gives birth during an air raid.

The time and the place in which Allied is set, and the genre into which it easily fits, seems to be mostly a Hollywood-style cinematic backdrop for a passionate love story.

However, I found the film's historical setting all too prominent. The camera insists on repetitive panning shots showing the characters' location, complete with precision-dressed extras and historically appropriate props, before focussing in on the nitty gritty of the story.

This struck me as unnecessary if not annoying, since the mise en scene adds little to the action or the dialogue. It almost felt as if the plot and the characters were swamped by their surroundings, which is a shame, since the story and the action alone are enough to absorb the viewer, entirely securing their emotional investment, right until the film's heart-breaking end.

Rating: 3/5