”I am on you like in war.” Review of ”Allies”
The spy drama Robert Zemeckis "Allies" was not supposed to be a revelation for fans of the genre, but many were seduced by a strong team in and behind the scenes, visuals and the promised suspense. The movie was expected to be classic, genre, with an emphasis on acting - the option, perhaps not the most original, but to some extent winning. As it turned out, in order to please the demanding viewer, beautiful faces and pictures are no longer enough, and even the most brilliant team can fail.If you've seen the trailer for "Allies" , you can assume you've seen a good half of the movie.1942. In Morocco, a British intelligence agent Max Watan (Brad Pitt) on assignment meets a charming French Resistance woman Marianne Bosijour (Marion Cotillard). Almost without straining, they remove a high-ranking Reich official right in the middle of a ceremonial Nazi dinner. The proximity of a possible death allegedly brings the spies so close that they cannot resist the temptation to fall in love with each other. Further - more: moving to London and a quiet family life against the backdrop of the still ongoing war. However, someone from above has a non-coincidental suspicion that Marianne , who has turned from a cold-blooded killer to a carefree housewife, is in fact a German spy, transmitting important information to the enemy. So, her husband is faced with an understandable dilemma - love or duty.  The not so difficult motive a la "spy, get out" becomes a plot trigger at the end of an increasingly unconvincing two-hour film. Although if we consider individual episodes of "Allies" , then some are impressive, at least with camera work. The film shows the everyday life of war with vivid strokes, when people live to the limit of feelings and possibilities, and after parties they watch aerial bombardments for granted. These scenes are in the spirit of The Imitation Game, a film that tells more about Britain during WWII. Himself Zemeckis to some extent positioned his drama as an homage to the classics of world cinema and the golden era of Hollywood - first of all to the impeccable films "Casablanca" and "Forward, the traveler". It is true that references to them are often found in the film, but, unfortunately, mostly due to external attributes - the action begins in Casablanca, the characters are very stylish, but at the same time they are simply dressed, one of the partners has a secret. I did it justice, but mainly due to the entourage.  And all this - the deserts of Morocco, war, espionage, a moral dilemma - turns out to be just a colorful background for a banal and orderly tearful love story, which is not distinguished by its colorfulness and originality. And if during the filming of the tape Zemeckis there were rumors about an affair between Pitt and Cotillard , then after watching it the questions disappear by themselves. Suddenly someone was very interested. Despite the fact that sparks fly from their guns during the operation, they do not run between the characters themselves, no matter how the creators of the picture try to prove the opposite with impressive sex scenes. And the beauty of the characters is no longer enough to convince viewers of the naturalness of the unfolding relationship. As for the acting, on which the main rate was made, Marion is quite convincing in her usual role of a charming European woman with a dark secret. However, if you remember similar images of her from Nolan's projects "The Dark Knight: The Legend Rises" or "The Beginning", then the faintly spelled Marianne Bosijour will not win. About Brad Pitt it’s even somehow embarrassing to speak separately: it was difficult to expect such an inexpressive game from him, especially after his brilliant role in “Inglourious Basterds”. Let's not go into unnecessary details, but in "Allies" the mimic capabilities of the Hollywood star number one are so weak, as if too much Botox had been poured into every facial muscle.  Surprisingly, it is often much more pleasant to watch the performers of secondary roles, for example, August Diehl in the already familiar image of a charismatic SS officer and Lizzie Kaplan, who portrays Max 's sister, the lesbian Bridget . Despite the fact that open homosexual relationships in military England are, of course, an anachronism, against the background of the sterile family life of the main characters, this slight hint of an alternative looks very attractive. But the main questions in fact do not arise for the actors simply doing their job according to the script, the author of which is the rather successful Stephen Knight ("Lock", "Peaky Blinders" / Peaky Blinders ). Why would a spy thriller with great potential turn into a predictable melodrama about family values, only he can answer. In general, the gravitation towards a simple family drama and its interspersing into any action, be it a sci-fi, detective or thriller, can be safely called one of the main problems of modern Hollywood. This is almost the same as chewing the same gum, periodically adding some kind of jam to it. But the gum itself has already lost its taste.  As a result, the box office failure of a film with such a brilliant cast is not surprising at all. We all still remember the enthusiasm of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" or the true romance of "Casablanca" . Therefore, such expensive and pretentious designs with a weak plot, as in " Allies " are simply boring. And from Robert Zemeckis they are also offensive. The Topic of Article: ”I am on you like in war.” Review of ”Allies”. |
