By Emilio Frenk
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, August Dile, Thierry Frémont and Simon McBurney.
Rating: Excellent.
Academy Award Winning Director Robert Zemeckis brings another film after his 3D experience “The Walk”. This time he does it with “Allied” a both thriller and drama that delivered satisfying results.
Based on true events, “Allied” tells the story of Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) a Canadian Intelligence Officer who travels to Casablanca, Morocco during World War II.
There she will meet with the French Resistance fighter Marianne Beasejour (Marion Cotillard). They will pretend to be a couple in a mission that implicates the assassination of german ambassador.
As soon as they get to know each other, both agent and fighter form a connection that will lead to a true romance.
After they succesful complete the mission they decide to move to London where they get married and live a normal life.
Everything will change on the life of Max when he receives the news from the british military that her wife is a German Spy.
Now Max will need to prove to his superiors that his Marianne is not a spy or he will be forced to terminate her.
In “Allied” we see the main character struggling and wrestling with his inner demons and this is something that Robert Zemeckis has been known for his career. This elements were used in movies like “Flight”, “Forrest Gump” and “Cast Away”
“Allied” is also written by Steven Knight, who’s most notable work are movies like “Eastern Promises”, “Locke” and “Pawn Sacrifice” and he created very interesting characters and believable at all levels.
Knight wrote a very detailed screenplay and all the characters had a very hard time in achieving their goals; another thing that I loved of the film is the way of how both Knight and Zemeckis played with the progressive complications of the characters and the movie wasn’t predictable.
The visual effects and the action sequences are very well made and Zemeckis is one the biggest directors who can shoot this kind of sequences. Let’s not forget that he started his career working with Steven Spielberg, who Produced movies like the “Back to the Future Trilogy” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”. As you know both movies made Zemeckis’scareer and he is one of the most influential directors in Hollywood.
The ending of the film has the style of Zemeckis with some corny moments but it didn`t bother me; in fact I was moved with it and the use of the voice over was very well executed
The chemistry between Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard works at all levels and they bring truthful and believable performances.
The score composed by Alan Silvestri, who has worked in most of Zemecki’s films is engaging and the way Zemeckis used the score in the most tense scenes works and engages.
The End of the Second Act and The Third Act of the Film were the best things of the film and I didn’t see a moment that the movie failed. Normally there is a tendency that movies of this genre start well and then they go down and here was not the case.
“Allied” is one of the years best films and I give a huge recommendation for the directing, writing and acting.