MOVIE REVIEW: Brad and Marion join forces in Allied

THE Brad Pitt relationship rumour mill rarely stops whirling. The breakdown of his marriage with Angelina Jolie had only just been announced when the next one started, this time involving Allied co-star Marion Cotillard. But their off-screen connection was purely platonic, despite the fact that the film throws up lots of interesting questions about how the two stars really feel about each other.

The movie opens in 1942 Morocco with Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan (played by Pitt) parachuting into the desert. From there he’s driven to Casablanca where he encounters a female French resistance fighter named Marianne (played by Cotillard). We soon learn that Vatan must pretend to be Marianne’s husband as the two embark on a deadly undercover mission behind enemy lines.

The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis (‘Back to the Future’, ‘Flight’ and ‘Forrest Gump’) and clearly illustrates his dreamy style of storytelling. Some of what we see doesn’t feel real, but intentionally so, as reality is precisely what’s at the heart of this story. 

In that sense it’s a little bit reminiscent of another Pitt movie, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’. But the real comparisons will be drawn to a far more established classic, ‘Casablanca’, which is definitely being paid homage to in a not so subtle fashion. 

The setting in Morocco, the backstory in Paris, the ending, and there’s even a scene involving a piano and ‘La Marseillaise’. A hat tip if ever there was one. 

The story feels like it’s divided into two halves. The first part in North Africa is the set up, establishing the relationship between the two leads with some political intrigue and espionage thrown in for good measure. The second half is the testing of the relationship with some more twists and turns to keep you guessing. 

There’s sufficient drama in both parts to keep the viewer entertained, even if the ending may leave you wondering why the tears aren’t flowing. Though Allied is no ‘Casablanca’, it is an enjoyable enough thriller, which we score 3 out of 5 stars.

Other Releases:

‘The Edge of Seventeen’ – 4 Stars: ‘Sully’ – 3.5 Stars

Paul O’Rourke