Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) are supposed to fall in love. The screenplay by Steven Knight demands it. Those demands are to be met as to service the drama and suspense when it’s revealed Marianne may be a German spy. Without the two in love, there’s a significant amount of weight dropped from the investigation. Max wouldn’t defy orders and snoop around air bases, hospitals, and prisons demanding answers. He’d wait patiently for the false information fed to him to cross enemy lines, no doubt the result of Marianne’s deception. If the two were just simply allies, he’d just wait it out, negating any tension to be had.
Just because the two are husband and wife doesn’t automatically give gravitas to the situation. It is up to the actors at hand and their director to bring the screenplay to life. Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, and Robert Zemeckis fail to do so. The actors have little chemistry together and the director is too caught up in authenticating the 1941 world the film resides in to give them proper direction. The ingredients are there for a delectable thriller, but the cooks don’t know how to process the recipe.
Much has been made in the tabloids over Brad Pitt’s split from Angelina Jolie, with Marion Cotillard being the prime suspect. The paparazzi believe the rumors that the two mingled on set, blossoming into an affair. Normally, I don’t give any second thought to such garbage journalism, as the personal lives of celebrities is none of my business. I couldn’t help but to think back to these rumors during my screening of “Allied,” however, as the two actors didn’t seem to have any chemistry whatsoever. Mind you, that doesn’t denounce the possibility the two are an item; their personal chemistry may not have translated to screen well, that’s all. And trust me when I say I didn’t feel it transferred to screen at all.
Instead of a sizzling romance built up through forbidden lust, Max & Marianne’s fire fizzles just as it’s lit. The two exchange glances at one another quite often, but it never goes past that. Max continually states how detrimental allies becoming romantic partners is while Marianne gives him the flirty eyes. There’s no rhyme or reason for their attraction aside from a base physical standpoint. I’d just as much credit the Moroccan sandstorm for their arousal than anything else, as that’s when the two finally break free from their invisible restrictions. You know, because it would be so cool to have their first sexual encounter be in a car during a sandstorm. What a story to tell their friends someday! Just as cool as telling their daughter she was born during an air raid, because that too happens. I’m starting to believe these two fell in love because nifty romantic scenarios follow them around like puppy dogs.
I don’t want to put too much blame on Pitt and Cotillard; they’re just doing as they’re told. Most of the blame lies on Zemeckis’ shoulders. He seemingly cares not about their emotional plight, just that it gets the story from point A to point B. Point A gets to take place in Casablanca and it’s as beautiful as it’s ever looked! The buildings are extravagant and breathe life, more so than the characters. The architecture is slick and elegant, with every detail from Nazi regalia to accurate car models littering the scenery. The same goes for point B, which is London, as homey and inviting as it’s ever been. The perfect place for the loving couple to raise their daughter, the picture perfect house nestled in the countryside so the sky shines in brightly. As far as set design goes, “Allied” is a rousing success!
If only all of that care went into the story. Then the drama would’ve been plentiful, as opposed to feeling like mere story beats. Max’s desperation to clear his wife’s name would’ve held more clout than coming across as special effects extravaganzas. The shootout at the prison would’ve felt more the result of Max’s deteriorating mental state instead of a mere action sequence brought upon to spice up the proceedings. Those moments when he looks into his wife’s eyes, fighting back tears of frustration, would’ve felt powerful had I believed his anguish. Instead, Pitt is directed to act as if his career his on the line, not his marriage and livelihood. Determined, sure, but not for the right reasons.
Poor Cotillard goes from playing a strong, independent woman to a mere ploy in a game of war. She slinks into the shadows as her husband secretively leaves home constantly on business. There’s no struggle from her, just frail whimpering. The twist is meant to excuse her actions, but they only undermine her development.
It’s a shame the key proponents don’t live up to the script, as the finale is rather riveting on its own. It packs the emotional punch the film so desperately needed and almost got me hooked into the threadbare story. By then it was too little too late, and I couldn’t help but think how much more compelling it would’ve been had I cared up until that point.
I’d love to someday get my hands on a copy of Steven Knight’s script, as I’m sure it’d provide the emotional heft the film was sorely lacking! It has to read better than it plays out.
Final Rating: C