User reviews

A very enjoyable film with beautiful cinematography and excellent performances. The overall production values are excellent, as you might expect from the headline talent. The story poses a unique premise and keeps you hooked until everything is revealed in the end.

In an age where special effects have taken over, it's refreshing to watch a film that mainly cares about characters and complex human situations. Yet for anyone wanting to see war action, you'll get plenty of that as well.

The stars themselves and the costumes all look stunning. Yes almost too stunning at times, but it's so glorious to look at you can forgive the film-makers for that. Some ridiculous negative reviews prevented me from seeing this in theatres, which I now regret. Tosh from Marvel keeps scoring high on RT, but then you see it and it's complete garbage about crystals (every movie, seriously). Films like Allied deserve more serious attention.

Overall, well worth a look!

I'm not a big fan of these WW-type films, any only decided to watch it as I'm a Brad Pitt fan. Well I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! The chemistry between Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard was convincing as they played their characters exceptionally. The winner here is the directing and writing - executed perfectly with great cinematography and editing. The pace was a little slow but the excellent ending made up for it! Very enjoyable and it's a 8/10 from me.

After reading the synopsis for this film I expected to watch more of a romance drama, but what I got was a wartime drama that kept you guessing about the plot throughout. The acting by both Pitt and Cottilard was on point throughout and the story was always engaging. It's a very good film with some great scenes which would be enjoyed by all

'Allied' has garnered a mixed reaction, on IMDb and with critics in general. This is completely understandable, and the mixed reaction and the reasoning for it mirrors my own feelings for the film. 'Allied' is not a bad film, but from seeing the trailers (which strongly suggested a film that would be more epic, more moving and more thrilling) to be honest was expecting a lot more.

There is a lot to like about 'Allied'. Visually, it is a gorgeous film. The cinematography is rich in atmosphere and colour and is quite poetic too, while the sets, scenery and costumes are evocative and eye-catching. The music by Alan Silvestri is neither too intrusive or too low-key, instead stirring when it needs to be and understated again when needed. There are some thrilling and harrowing moments as well as some poignant ones in the more intimate scenes, personally thought the controversial ending was quite emotional but can definitely see why it won't work for some.

Marion Cotillard gives a nuanced and deeply felt turn, nothing short of sensational. Brad Pitt's performance has been criticised (as well as defended), to me it was appropriately stoic, despite his character being nowhere near as meaty as Cotillard's, and he was a worthy partner for Cotillard, a little cold in places but mostly fiery. The supporting cast are fine.

On the other hand, the script and pacing are uneven. The script is 'Allied's' biggest flaw, lacking plausibility in places, especially in the mission scenes, having too much padding that's overlong and adds little to nothing and some of the parts intended to be emotional laid it on too thick with the treacle and sentimentality. Much more could have been done with the psychological subtext, which would have made Pitt's character more interesting and given the story more consistent suspense and thrills.

Pacing does drag badly frequently, primarily due to having superfluous scenes that lacked momentum and went on too long and also due to Robert Zemeckis' quite disappointing direction. There are moments, but it is a case of getting the job done but in a workmanlike and tame fashion, not the thrills and cleverness one expects from Zemeckis that is present in the best of his work.

In summary, had potential to be epic as a wartime romance, but doesn't quite make it. Many great things, but a few big things that got in the way of fulfilling full potential. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Overall,it's a pretty good movie.

I just love the style of the picture. Generally that World War 2 era has that glamorous style to it, and leave it to Robert Zemeckis to add that extra kick.

Although I've Seen better costumes but this maybe because Canada did not have the best uniforms out of the WWII crowd.

And that made this movie strangely interesting. The 1st movie I ever seen about Canada's involvement in the War. Maybe I have seen others but it's so rare that it makes this movie seem unique that the story is about a Canadian wing commander who falls in love and builds a life with a woman who may not be all that she claims.

Speaking of which, The best part of the movie is that drama. Though I love the art direction as it puts me in That WWII setting, the visual effects do a good job of placing you right there, but the drama coming from Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard's connection on camera. It's this connection that's the most important and makes the movie what it is, and the emotion baggage is well worth it.

So not much of a war epic or an espionage movie as I went to see if for but it's a great love story set perfectly and beautifully in a different time and place worthy of checking out.

Movie doesn't only have an interesting story but also have beautiful scenes and frames. Brad Pitt's preformance can not go unnoticed. The movie is able to capture intensity of being a spy.

A Franco/Canadian secret mission is an unusual twist for a WWII story. This and the setting of the first part of "Allied" reminded me of "The English Patient". Canadian Max (Pitt) is sent to Casablanca for a dangerous mission. Marianne (Cotillard) is the French agent already in place to help him.

Out of the desert and in London, "Allied" moves into a different territory, albeit still with plenty of style. Max and Marianne's wartime romance in exotic settings turns into a real family, but doubts arise about Marianne's identity.

London during the war as the main setting for two thirds of the movie looked very realistic. I did not mind what could be the historical inaccuracy of the Blitz, because the bombing added a layer of drama to the story.

I particularly liked the scene during the party, with Sing, Sing Sing playing in the background. It is a slightly menacing tune and it complemented perfectly the atmosphere of tension, suspicion and slight desperation.

Even if I have never been a Brad Pitt fan, he did a good job playing quiet Max, a man of a few words who sees his new world disintegrating. One can easily imagine him as a long-term bachelor falling for the beautiful, brave French partisan. Cotillard was also convincing as the ambiguous "femme fatale". Contrary to what some reviewers wrote, plenty of chemistry between the two, but also tenderness.

If you like movies with a solid plot, linear storytelling, believable characters, difficult choices, great costumes and soundtrack, then you should like this.

P.S. couple of remarks: Pitt's French was not the best and no way he could have passed for Parisian, but that did not bother me too much. The final scene is a couple of minutes too long, but again, not a major problem. However, what a relief to follow a good plot without the zig- zagging in time, overused but often useless editing style.

I'm not sure which is worse: a bad story made passable by impossibly qualified talents or the fact that said talents thought something this dated and superfluous could have been a homerun. The feel of Allied is downright quixotic. It's an English Patient (1996) knockoff with the look of a cheap wartime propaganda movie starring the closet thing we have to classic Hollywood stars playing our leads. The story itself creaks with outdated maudlin clichés while the camera traverses each moment like it's trying to draw attention to itself but none of what it captures catches the eye. I realize that director Robert Zemeckis is the Amblin wunderkind that churned out Back to the Future (1985) but couldn't we have please left this outmoded way of making films in the past?

Pitt and Cotillard play fellow spies Max Vatan and Marianne Beausejour, called into service during the onslaught of WWII. Beausejour has spent years in the French underground gaining a reputation for being as unscrupulous and deadly as she is beautiful. Meanwhile Vatan an agent for…whatever Canada's equivalent is for the CIA, drops from the sky and assimilates into the Vichy intrigue of Casablanca. From there they pair off, fall in love, move to England and, as you can no doubt gleam from the trailer, Vatan and company begin to suspect Beausejour of being an Axis double agent.

The film is divided almost perfectly in half between our duos mission and eventual courtship in Morocco, and the percolating intrigue back at HQ. So much of the film's stock is governed by the tension created by Beausejour's situation in the second half that it's amazing the film takes so long to get there. Once we finally get there however, the movie tips its hat one too many times all but giving away the game before it even begins. So many of the scenes shot in the English countryside are shot through mirrors (a Zemeckis staple that hammers in the idea of someone being two-faced). The dialogue rehashes moments from the first half of the film as if to create a cleaver-than-thou echo; and if you're not already primed for the plot twist, at one point Beausejour is reading Brighton Rock. That in congress with the fact that her name is a French double f***ing entendre you just have to assume she's not telling the whole story.

It's so mind-boggling how a movie of such pedigree can be so flaccid and obtuse yet there it is, still in theaters and still selling the faces of its two leads like their Leigh and Olivier. Look forward to this uneven little spy thriller to be cobbled into a four pack with Red Tails (2012), Defiance (2008) and Valkyrie (2008) because that's the only way spending money on this would be a smart buy.

Brad Pitt stars as Max Vatan, wing commander for a base in England. Years earlier he was sent into French Morocco to team up with another spy named Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard). As teasers show, they take on a suicide mission, end up falling in love and having a life together. Back in England, Vatan is told that his wife is a German spy, which is when the mystery starts - is she or isn't she. Unfortunately, it's also when the plot falls flat.

I can think of so many other creative ways that this could have played out, so that your choice would be more than a simple yes or no. Especially based on how they escaped from Morocco. But helas, the plot ends up being very simple with only minor small periods of tension.

Brad Pitt was OK, but he always seemed to be portraying someone who was unfeeling to everything. Cotillard was terrific, but again, i think she could only do so much with such a simple plot.

The best part of the film was the cinematography with some terrific scenes of what bombing attacks at night were like. Costume design was also outstanding because both Pitt and Cotillard were stunning when dressed to the nines to go out. It's too bad that some of that design flair could not have been spun into the plot to make IT more interesting.

6/10 at best is my rating. Allied is not terrible, but it's nothing special either. Enjoy.

Quite the duplicitous plot! Robert Zemeckis' Allied released by Paramount Pictures is a thrilling tale of espionage and love. We have certainly seen a few different "spy" movies over the last couple of years; some more about espionage and others more about the drama that ensues afterwards. Fortunately, Allied feels like a genuine spy movie that actually contains espionage. The production design and costumes are a beautiful throwback to the fabulous 40s. You'll find yourself reaching for a glass of champagne and swing dancing to Benny Goodman's timeless big band jazz hit Sing, Sing, Sing. There is one city synonymous with WWII, espionage, and romance and you will appropriately return to that iconic city of Casablanca in Allied. This is definitely not a reimagined Casablanca but there are indirect references to that movie sprinkled throughout this new story. Films like this one require top notch talent, and both Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard deliver outstanding performances to accompany this staple in film genres. Not limited to the love story between Pitt's and Cotillard's respective characters, the movie also includes some deadly shootout scenes and dangerously close encounters with the Nazis behind enemy lines.

Commander and intelligence officer Max Vatan (Pitt) is stationed in the famous city of Casablanca in French Morocco where he teams up with French resistance movement leader Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard). Impressed by her ability to so effectively blend in and create her authentic cover, Vatan soon finds himself falling in love with his partner. Following the assassination of a Nazi ambassador, Beausejour and Vatan flee to London to start their life together. Everything is going beautifully for the happy couple in their second year of marriage with a child when Vatan's superiors confront him with the suspicion that Marianne is in fact a Nazi spy. Refusing to believe it to be true, Max must now conduct his own investigation into his wife's history to protect the ones he loves so dearly.

I absolutely adored the look and feel of the film as it echoes the era of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Although this movie plays off a tad listless as a result of failing to elicit a strong emotional response from the audience, it is not without it outstanding elements. It benefits from solid acting and beautiful cinematography as well as some fantastic symbolism. Robert Zemeckis' talent for visual storytelling is clearly visible in this period film. The weakness in the ability to successfully leave a lasting emotional impact on the audience is in the writing and executive producership of Steven Knight (Eastern Promises). For films that are not as much about the spectacle as they are the drama between characters and the challenge faced therein, it is vitally important that the personal/interpersonal relationships transcend the screen and directly impact the audience. All the makings were there for a deeply moving cinematic story, but it just doesn't quite make that transition from the mostly superficial and distant.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...(interesting fun fact: this misquoted line from Snow White is actually "magic mirror on the wall"). But, I digress. The strategic use of mirrors is an incredible use of visual storytelling and symbolism. For those who have studied film or literary rhetoric, the mirror is a classic means of conveying duplicity (two sides, faces, etc of a character). Even without knowing that this was a spy movie, I would have been able to infer that from how the mirrors are shot and placed within the composition of the 24 frames a second. When using powerful symbolism as part of the visual story, it conveys so much more meaning in a scene than words could actually describe. Mirrors have long sense been a powerful metaphor even before moving pictures. But motion pictures allow for a greater use of the importance it plays in a cinematic story. Not limited to duplicity, mirrors can also be used as a metaphor for self-reflection. Whether talking duplicity or reflection, the mirror aids in conveying so much to the audience in this movie.

Ordinarily, I am not a fan of classic films getting remakes; however, there are always exceptions when the core or essence of the film is held in tact but the production design, direction, and cinematography are brought up to speed with contemporary cinema. If you're a fan of WWII era films or the timeless spy movie, then you will definitely enjoy Allied. After witnessing the significance of Casablanca in this movie, I am actually looking forward to a remake if there ever is one. Provided. That the overall look and feel of the movie is in line with classical motion picture storytelling. I could definitely see Robert Zemeckis directing a remake of Casablanca. Occasionally there are directors who can strike the balance between classical cinematic storytelling told through contemporary technology, and Zemeckis definitely struck that balance in Allied.

Don't allow the weak writing to dissuade you from watching it; there is actually a lot to enjoy in this film. After the slow burn during the first act, acts II and III are full of intrigue and suspense.

You may have seen the preview for this movie; I would say that that does not fully prepare you for the actual movie. It is a movie that will appeal to adults, both men and women, and it includes romance, sacrifice, and plenty of action and spy hi jinks.

A very good script, with some great plot turns, and superior acting from both Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt in complex, challenging roles. My favorite bit: when they make love in a car in the Moroccan desert with a sandstorm going on all around them. It is a good metaphor for their love story in the midst of the great chaos of World War II. And it has a realistic feel, for the most part--for the sets in Casablanca (some good homage to the Bogart film, I would say also some Brando homage in parts of Pitt's performance), and the time back in the UK (second favorite bit is during a party in London). One does get the sense of the all-out effort demanded to win the war, something we do well to commemorate in these days when the last veterans of that most epic event in history are at death's door.

It is a Zemeckis film, from the school of film-making of Steven Spielberg, and that means your emotions are subject to the whim and whimsy of the director's manipulation. Sometimes you are aware of that, but oftentimes you are not, and that makes it better (than, say, Forrest Gump).

I will take the movie as a whole and suggest Oscar nominations for original screenplay and both leading roles.

As another reviewer said, the story offered places for a plot twist, but the writer or director failed to take up the opportunity. Through most of the film Marianne Beauséjour is the more interesting character. and once they move to London, the story is hers. She was conflicted, but we don't get to see much of this internal conflict -- rather the story follows the male lead, Max Vatan, played by Bradd Pitt. He should have been but a supporting role to her story. Once again, another film that could have been great had they worked on the script like they worked on the set design. On the whole, worth watching for the sets and setting, and the conflict with the Germans.

The pacing of "Allied" could be called into question - mostly because what you really have here are three stories in one, each with a very different feel, although the thread that holds the movie together runs through all three. The first is the story of the attack by the French Resistance on the German Ambassador in Casablanca, in Vichy-French held Morocco. The story opens with Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) - a Canadian officer working ifor British intelligence who's sent in to take part in the attack. He meets up with Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) - a member of the Resistance who's leading the attack. This part of the story was pretty fast paced and exciting. It leads in to the second story - a love story between Max and Marianne. They fall in love, and he takes her with him to London, where they marry and have a daughter and spend a couple of years living together in obvious domestic bliss. The story slows down here, befitting the new tone, and helps to flesh out the two characters. The domestic bliss is interrupted by the third part of the story, when the British come to believe that Marianne is actually a German spy, and if they can prove it Max is told that he'll be ordered to kill her. So the movie becomes a sort of suspense-drama. Is she or isn't she? And there's reason to believe either. In a sense these are three very different stories, but I thought they were woven together pretty well and made a movie that was both enjoyable and interesting to watch. Pitt and Cotillard both gave good performances. Marianne was a social animal who liked people and parties, and Max was more of a quiet loner who kept his emotions very much in check, and both actors captured those personalities. The two worked very well together.

The movie does have some strange plotholes and inconsistencies. It was established in Morocco that Max's accent was Quebecois rather than Parisienne (very different) - but Marianne seems able to fix that in just a few days so that no one ever seems to become suspicious that Max may not be who he seems to be? That was a bit strange. And I thought the introduction of Max's sister as a lesbian with her lover in tow was awkward and unnecessary - a relationship unlikely to be lived so openly at that time in history, and therefore it came across as tokenism for today's audience more than anything else. But all movies are going to have points you can quibble about. These were things I noticed, but they didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the movie.

"Allied" builds up very nicely to its last few tragic scenes, and in the end the movie does become a tragedy more than anything else, with the end (with the reading of a letter that Marianne wrote to her daughter) being truly heartwrenching. I'd say that "Allied" is by no means perfect - but it is an altogether enjoyable movie with a compelling story (or stories) and believable performances from the leads. (9/10)

This movie seems like a long montage, you never feel engaged with the characters or the story as it races through plot points then plods through others. The effects seem dated, in that it's noticeably fake, which often draws you out of the story. Cotillard is strong, Pitt less so. The story itself has been done and and done better. The writing is a little lazy and predictable. One strange inclusion is that it makes a point of introducing Pitt's character's sister. She seems to serve no point and it feels like something is missing. As a (Southern Hemisphere) summer "blockbuster" it will probably fare well but when compared to some of 2016's more tense and visually appealing movies, like Norturnal Animals, it falls flat.

My husband and I both enjoyed this movie. It had been a while since we had seen Brad Pitt in a movie and he is an accomplished actor. His costar was beautiful and talented. They made for good eye candy as a couple. There was plenty of action across two different settings and times. It was not predictable or spelt out for you which is often the case with American movies, The English seem to do a better job of allowing the audience to fill in some gaps and silences. It kept us interested and entertained throughout. Cinemaphotography was good with colours and weather helping with the mood and atmosphere.

For people who favour the spy genre set in wartime it is worth a few hours of your time. It is a serious film that shows that love transcends everything!

There was no plot twist although there were several places for a plot twist. If you saw the trailer, you saw the movie. Also, the break from the period setting to give modern values with no point. The introduction of a sister to Brad Pitt's character, who is openly a lesbian. This would NEVER happen in the 1940s as homosexuality was against the law and they were greatly disdained by the public. It is a completely pointless distraction from the period setting. Another goof, German Army officers wearing Nazi armbands. I was beginning to think Quinton Tarantino made this movie. Another example of how Hollywood cannot make a period movie without sabotaging their own production.