Written by: Steven Knight
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan
Rated: R
Plot
In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.
Verdict
This starts well and the plot isn't bad, but it just didn't pull me in. Pitt and Cotillard have great chemistry to start, but the movie doesn't take it far enough. Allied slows down to try and establish their relationship and doesn't pull it off. It feels like a classic movie to a degree, though the ending didn't have the impact it should have in part due to their relationship. There's some back and forth as to what the truth is while Pitt's character desperately tries to get to the answer first.
It depends.
Review
I love the way this starts with Brad Pitt's character Max parachuting into Morocco with an overhead shot and then walking away in the desert silently, it's a fun scene that sets the mood for this spy thriller. The entire first act is 'big.' The rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to that.
Max and Marianne are both spies, teaming up to execute a mission. They've got great chemistry on screen, which helps since they initially pose as husband and wife. This has all the hallmarks of a thriller movie, spies, sex, guns, and nazis. This has a great start with plenty of action before it slows down as Max and Marianne get married despite warnings from his superiors. I wondered if this would make them less effective at their jobs, but they settle down in England, relinquishing their roles as spies.
Once married, they have a baby. If movies can't make births somewhat plausible, why not just do a jump edit. Births don't typically happen while running down the street. During this family segment, instead of staying in the moment with this movie, I began wondering what happens next. I know we aren't going to play house the rest of the movie, and this part really hurts pacing. I just didn't care much. I know the movie is using this to establish a foundation but it doesn't really work.
Max is informed his wife may be a spy working for the Germans. This kicks off his investigation to find the truth, against the orders of his superiors who are doing their own investigation. Max is confidant his wife isn't a spy, but his impatient quest for the truth reveals otherwise. He knows the facts betray his feelings. His superiors run a "blue dye" operation, feeding Marianne false information to see if it turns up in the wrong hands.
The search for truth does provide some intrigue as Max has to lie to his wife about what he's doing, but then is told by a colleague the whole operation might be a test and Max could be in line for a promotion. He takes some big risks just to be the first with a definitive answer as to who his wife really is. I get why he takes the risks, but he endangers others. While he finally tracks down the only guy that can help, he gets answers that line up with his expectations, except for one curious detail.
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