Allied

The trailers for this movie did catch my eye but once I knew Robert Zemeckis made this film, I was even more inclined to see "Allied". This movie had a lot of things going for it, both in front of and behind the camera. It is apparently inspired by true events and I think it is worth seeing. While this movie earned an Oscar nomination for its costume design, the best quality of the film in my opinion is the cinematography and the editing of some scenes was noteworthy as well. Unfortunately, it is a film that you really don't need to see more than once. Some films are good every time, even thrillers like "Argo" or films with plot twists like "The Prestige". Once you know the ending to "Allied", you come away entertained but satisfied. That might sound like a compliment but the best movies leave you hungry for a repeat experience. This film also had aspects that took away from the suspense.

Zemeckis' trademark long shots and seamless special effects that he was known for appear to have ended in live action in 2000 with "Cast Away" and in performance capture in 2009 with "A Christmas Carol". "The Walk" did have a few shots that had great cinematography and the special effects were amazing but nothing like what we saw from Zemeckis in the 90's. Those movies had shots that were both long and complex. These days, he seems to be favoring more simple cinematography that still can make an impact such as the opening shot of "Allied". Oscar-winning cinematographer Don Burgess earned his Academy Award on Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump" but their first collaboration was on "Back to the Future Part III" where Burgess acted as the Director of Photography for the second unit. This is Burgess' seventh film with Zemeckis as his head cinematographer. Burgess has worked on other movies that I love and his work on "Allied" was the best aspect of the whole show. Zemeckis is a master at using the camera to tell his stories and "Allied" is yet another example. The editing and cinematography have their starring moment during sandstorm. Both cinematic elements worked very well together in that scene. All the filmmakers working on "Allied" knew that moviegoers would already be familiar with the central conflict from the start. The Casablanca scenes are constructed in such as a way so that the audience will be looking for any clues that will come to be significant later in the film. I like how Max and Marianne's relationship begins fittingly in World War II-era Casablanca. That location alone helped to craft romance between the lead characters. In another comparison, the climax of "Allied" occurs on an airport runway. The high card scene was the best in the whole film in terms of story. I love how Max is a Canadian from Ontario. If you were to ask me where the most romantic place in Alberta is, Medicine Hat wouldn't come to mind right away. The rolling hills that Max speaks of are actually the Cypress hills, which are south of Medicine Hat along the US, Alberta and Saskatchewan borders. The city of Medicine Hat is actually flat prairie landscape. Still, to have that city be mentioned so many times in "Allied" as the ultimate goal for our characters was cool. One part of the script that added to the suspense from what was introduced in the marketing was the idea that Max was being tested. I love the way all our questions and suspicions are answered at the end of the film. There was however a few distractions in this show that affected my ability to fully enjoy the movie. The swearing seemed a tad excessive and the brief nudity was likewise a disturbance. In particular, the party at Max and Marianne's house had some stuff that made it hard to become engrossed in the story of the film. Without these distractions, the movie might have been better.

Marion Cotillard was a great casting choice for this kind of story and she & Brad Pitt did have some chemistry. I thought that Cotillard actually did a better acting job than Pitt. "Allied" contains another well written score by Zemeckis' long time collaborator, Alan Silvestri. I have seen movies written by Steven Knight before and while this film was better than "Pawn Sacrifice", it didn't live up to "The Hundred-Foot Journey". It is hard to judge movies from their screenplays though because the final product can be different from what was written originally. "Allied" is worth seeing but you come away without a need to see it again. You had great camera work and other elements that did their job but there were aspects that if eliminated, might have affected the show for the better.

3.5 out of 5 Stars