From Paramount and director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, The Walk) and writer Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Locke) comes the World War II romantic spy thriller Allied. Starring Brad Pitt and Marion Marion Cotillard the film is available to own on Blu-ray/DVD today February 28, 2017.
The story of intelligence officer Max Vatan, who in 1942 North Africa encounters French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Reunited in London, their relationship is threatened by the extreme pressures of the war.
Review
They don’t make movies like this anymore. Allied, although made today, feels like it comes from another time period. I realise it’s a period piece in concept, but everyone — from the actors to the writing, to the story – all come together like a classic film that time forgot and we’re just now seeing it for the very first time 50 years later. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard play spies during WWII who wind up falling for one another until one day Pitt’s character is forced to investigate the possibility that his wife has been on team Nazi the entire time.
Robert Zemeckis is truly one of the greatest filmmakers of our time and you can really feel the love he has for this story and how he wanted it to feel like a classic romance. If you watch ‘classic love story’ films from the past, you’ll notice that they all had several different elements and layers to them – including spectacular action sequences. Allied is very much a love story, it just happens to be entrenched in the chaos of WWII. You see this when Cotillard’s character gives birth during an air raid on the city, so she’s forced to deliver her baby outside while bombs are blowing everything up around her. It’s one of the most spectacular sequences in the film.
Now, I can understand why some didn’t dig the movie… The pacing is all out of whack. Sometimes the slow burn and development of the romance between Pitt and Cotillard’s characters can take you out of the dangerous setting that Allied lives in. However, because of that time they took to build these two into a believable couple, it only helps add to the heartbreaking second half of the film which truly shines as we see Pitt’s Max struggle to discover the truth about his wife, even if it means dismantling his family entirely. The conclusion was shocking and gut-wrenching – Allied may have had some pacing issues, but I think it’s truly a unique gem because it feels like a movie from a different time — and kinda like that throwback.
Rating: [star rating=”3.5″]
Special Features
Writer Steven Knight reveals in the behind-the-scenes features that he was inspired to write the screenplay for Allied after hearing a true WWII story in which a military husband finds out his wife has been spying for the other side, so he actually takes the order and kills his spouse. This darkness inspired Knight’s story for Allied, which is explored in great depth on the special features. Everything from the cast, the stunts, effects, costumes (which received an Oscar nod this year) and more.
I was surprised at how many features were included on this Blu-ray, so it’s well worth picking this home release up if you watched Allied in theaters and really enjoyed it.
- Feature film in high definition
- Bonus Content:
- Story of Allied
- From Stages to the Sahara: The Production Design of Allied
- Through the Lens: Directing with Robert Zemeckis
- A Stitch in Time: The Costumes of Allied
- ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Max and Marianne
- Guys and Gals: The Ensemble Cast
- Lights, Pixels, ACTION! The Visual Effects of Allied
- Behind the Wheel: The Vehicles of Allied
- Locked and Loaded: The Weapons of Allied
- That Swingin’ Sound: The Music of Allied