Film Review, Allied (released 2016)

Allied 
Paramount Pictures 2016
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
(Ryan's Rating ★★★ of four)

I am a fan of classic movies and films that are not in ultra high definition.  As well as movies where the special effects department is not directing the movie.  Do not get me wrong I like a good Marvel movie but at the end of the day I'll be watching Turner Classic Movies or the Western channel.

What I find so enjoyable and refreshing about Allied is that it could have been made in the 1940s (albeit minus the brief nudity and brief profanity) with Clark Gable and Greer Garson.  For those of you who do not enjoy classic films (yes I look down on you) because you feel they're slow or boring Allied moves at a clipped pace that kept me glued to the screen.

The story is set during WWII where two operatives, a Canadian working for the British (Brad Pitt) and a French spy (Marion Cotillard), meet in Casablanca on an assignment to assassinate a Nazi supporter.  They are undercover posing as a wealthy married couple who have charmed their way into the upper crust of the city.  This opening thirty or so minutes could have been a movie in itself but is really only act one in this film and it is some of the most enjoyable set up I have seen in a long time.

Needless to say the two spies fall in love, get married, and move to London (during The Blitz).  He takes a desk job for the military and she becomes a house wife raising their baby.  Then his superiors suspect his French wife of being a German operative and the rest of the film moves into a Hitchcockian mystery where Pitt's character and the viewer are unsure who to trust.

Pitt fits into this period piece exceptionally well and shows his movie star charisma and acting chops.  I for one always find Pitt hit or miss, he is very commanding on screen in everything but often I find his films underwhelming.  Here he succeeds with aplomb.

Cottillard is one of those performers that I have seen in about a dozen films but I can never remember where I have seen her.  This is probably due to her immense acting abilities which allow her to disappear into characters and also that she does not really make traditional blockbusters (for instance she is not associated with Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel).  She perfectly fits into the 1940s period and her performance is right on pitch.

Robert Zemeckis has made some of my favorite films (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Back to the Future Trilogy, Forrest Gump, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand).  Over the first decade of the 2000s he became a champion of motion capture digital filming which he used on the wonderful Polar Express and the less exciting Beowulf and A Christmas Carol (with Jim Carrey).  Now he appears to be returning to the more traditional live action films, with Allied he shows off his expert eye for framing, camera placement, wide shots, tracking, and long takes and especially pacing.  A film buff like Spielberg (his mentor) and Scorsese, Zemeckis pays homage to Billy Wilder and in particular Hitchcock (whom he previously emulated on the less successful What Lies Beneath in 2000).

Overall Allied is not the greatest film ever made but it is a very entertaining adventure thriller for adults with an eye for the classic which is something to be enjoyed.