Allied – Film Review by Fran Winston

Direcrted by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Simon McBurney, Lizzy Caplan

In cinemas November 25th

Back in the day during the “golden age of Hollywood” a star could have been in the midst of numerous affairs and divorcing their 16th spouse and the cinema going public were unlikely to hear about it never mind have it filter in to the glossy movie promotions so carefully stage managed by the studios. Fast forward to today however and a stars personal life has become public fodder as Brad Pitt is surely only too aware of. While his private life has been hitting the headlines for decades the recent announcement of his impending divorce from Angelina Jolie has completely overshadowed the release of this film. Which is a real shame as it is a fine piece of cinema.

Pitt plays Max Vattan, a Canadian intelligence officer who is paired with the alluring and mysterious French Resistance Fighter Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard) on a secret mission in Casablanca. The pair fall in love and Max puts in a request that she be allowed join him in London where he is stationed. They have a child and live an idyllic life (or as idyllic as is possible in wartime) until Max is summoned by his superiors who inform him that they believe she is a spy. Setting a test for her they inform him that he must execute her if they are proved right leaving Max just 72 hours to try and clear his beloved’s name.

This opens with stunning sweeping shots of the dessert and some 45 odd minutes in as Pitt and Cotillard brandish machine guns and let rip it seems to be setting itself up to be a wartime action picture. However the glamour and splendour of this only serves to juxtapose with the ordinariness of London and their lives there. After the initial scenes there is very little in the way of action and this is all about the character relationships. Pitt and Cotillard give great performances, make a supremely attractive couple and have great chemistry (although for those still speculating they had an affair it’s called ACTING!) The supporting characters are merely here to flesh out their story. This is very much their film.

The performances are offset with some amazing cinematography, stunning sound design, thoughtful direction and a solid script that twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end. If there was one flaw it is simply that Cotillard looks impossibly glamorous throughout given that its wartime and rationing was in force. You can overlook this though as it only adds to her enigma as the plot develops.

A solid thriller with plenty of tension that will have you on the edge of your seat, this is definitely award worthy. It would be a pity if people let the Brangelina furore colour their perception of this as it is definitely one of the best thrillers released this year.