First we see a pair of feet, floating above a desert; then the rest of the Allied spy drops into sight, as he parachutes to North Africa for his World War II mission. He slips into a nearby city, and eventually into a car, where he notes how crazy the traffic is.
The beautiful agent he’s just met turns to him and says — part warning, part dare — “This is how you drive in Casablanca.”
So that’s where we are. A city in Morocco, yes, but also a great location in the movie imagination. The ultimate movie-movie place name, in fact, where Humphrey Bogart reunited with Ingrid Bergman and defined wartime romance.
Director Robert Zemeckis knows what he’s doing. “Allied” is an old-fashioned movie — even if made with the latest digital tools — a tribute to a style of storytelling that has become scarce.
Two dazzling movie stars are at the helm. The parachuting agent is Max, played by Brad Pitt; his French contact is Marianne, played by Marion Cotillard. If you prefer grittily realistic espionage stories, look elsewhere. Their glamour is part of the appeal — and also part of the movie’s game of asking whether a pretty face could be a mask for deception.
Well over a half-hour into things, screenwriter Steven Knight introduces a twist. The trailers give this away, which is a shame, because it ruins a particular first-time experience. (People who make trailers would be terrible spies.)
Zemeckis has always loved technical innovation, from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” to “Forrest Gump” to “The Postal Express.” This time he’s content to let the story carry the load.
But there’s plenty of CGI spectacle, including an astonishing German air raid that erupts over the home where Marianne is throwing a house party.
Zemeckis is good at that kind of thing: scenes that are clearly meant to be talked about after the movie. He strains sometimes; a lovemaking session inside a car parked in a desert sandstorm is trying too hard. But hey, this is not a little minimalist film.
And the major revelations are stirring. For all its period spectacle, “Allied” is a film about trust.
That’s why the focus is so strongly on Pitt and Cotillard, who make a very handsome couple (rumors of on-set combustion that might have led to the recent break-up of Pitt’s marriage to Angelina Jolie have been debunked, so never mind that).
Not much room for other actors, although Jared Harris and Simon McBurney are spot-on as Brit intelligence officers. Lizzy Caplan is less so as Max’s sister, but her role feels shoehorned into the plot to solve a specific problem.
“Allied” doesn’t have anything as quotable as “Here’s looking at you, kid,” but it’s a pleasure to watch a throwback like this. I’ll take it over technical innovation any time.
“Allied” 3 stars
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard lend considerable dazzle to this old-fashioned WWII spy picture, a tale of trust in wartime Casablanca and London. Director Robert Zemeckis is good at the big set-pieces, and even with a few bumps in logic it’s a pleasure to watch a kind of storytelling that has become scarce.
Rating: R, for violence, subject matter
Showing: At various area theaters
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