Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Fresh from the battlefield of his real-life divorce with Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt stars in this World War II drama in which he jumps from the frying pan and into the proverbial fire.
The movie is coated like a grenade with a hard exterior, leading the audience to believe that it’s simply an action-packed thriller. However, it’s the heart of the blast which does the most damage to its credibility … the emotional and dramatic love story between the characters of Marianne and Max.
Pitt takes on the role of the Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan, who becomes romantically involved with a French Resistance fighter, Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard), who can only be appropriately described as possessing je ne sais quoi.
The two tie-the-knot and have a daughter in the middle of an air raid, which appeals to the audience as a symbol of their unyielding love. However, just like the casualties of war, Allied oozes with blood, nostalgia and the mistrust that followed the conflict.
Cotillard, previously known for her work in A Good Year and Inception, adds authenticity and emotion to her character with her acting and native flair for the French language. Pitt, who attempts to follow suit, fails and comes across as rather unbelievable.
This owes to the fact that a lot of the movie is background-setting up until a major, and unfortunately entirely predictable, plot twist. Pitt and Cotillard also lack the intensity and tenderness that is required for them to pass as two people who are madly in love in the midst of the mayhem of the war.
They act like complete strangers from the beginning all the way to the end, adding French to their conversation in an attempt to make their relationship seem more amorous but instead it comes across as flirting with danger.
As a result, Allied becomes yet another romanticised war film in which not much happens in the plot in which anything worth watching appears like elements from other better war films.
Pitt, who seems to have a penchant for taking on war movie roles these days, tries to incorporate similar traits into his role as Max but instead comes across as emotionless. While the audience would expect Pitt to be the emotional one, it is Cotillard who has the heavier emotional load.
Allied draws some similarities from Pitt’s previous work in a manner that can only be described as ‘sensuality with a gun’. However, the poorly-timed plot line, lack of chemistry and to some extent Brad’s dreadful attempts at mastering the French language makes me think Allied won’t be leaving the box office with a ‘bang’.
Now showing at: Cineco, Seef II,Wadi Al Sail, Saar, Dana, Novo, Mukta A2
