Film Review - Allied (15)

They're watching us. Now kiss me.

Allied saddles itself with a problem from the start. This wartime romantic thriller sets its first act in the Moroccan city of Casablanca, thereby conjuring up memories of the most famous wartime romantic thriller in Hollywood history. It's a daring move - but when you deliberately set your tale in the same time and location as the Bogart/Bergman classic, you'd better come within shouting distance of that film's glories. And sadly Allied doesn't. Not by some way. Which doesn't mean it's not worth a viewing - just one with managed expectations.

Brad Pitt stars as Max Vatan, an American secret agent parachuting into Nazi-occupied Morocco on a mission so dangerous it might well be his last. There he meets up with his French counterpart Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cottilard at her most inscrutable), so that as pretend husband and wife they can close in with deadly intent on a German ambassador. Sparks fly - both romantic and literal - as they carry out their mission, and inevitably these good-looking spies get all kinds of unprofessional. Relationships that start in the field, Max is warned, are doomed - but the advice of course goes ignored. 

It's a classic set-up, and this movie is not without its pleasures, but the script and occasionally even the plotting let it down. You're being invited to make comparisons with Casablanca, for heaven's sake - the latter film's scintillating dialogue and tight storytelling make Allied seem crass at points and just plain daft at others. And Brad Pitt, for all his sterling work elsewhere, is surprisingly wooden here as the romantic lead. 

That said, this movie still manages to engage. It's gorgeous to look at for more reasons than its two leads, 1940s Morocco and England having been recreated with impressive levels of period detail. The thriller elements work well, with moments of sweaty paranoia throughout, and the pacing carries you through the more dodgy plot developments before you have time to think about them. 

The stand-out reason to watch it, however, is Marion Cottilard. She shines in every moment of her screen time, convincing as both spy and lover. Even the cheesier lines can move to tears (surprisingly I can testify to that), because she sells them so well. She at least is channeling the spirit of Ingrid Bergman here, with a bit of a saucy twist.

All in all Allied is a fun night out at the cinema - glossy and entertaining, with each twist piling onto the last. But it's a one-off watch, not a keeper. For that, go back for a drink at Rick's place with Sam playing piano, in the 1942 all-time great. 

Casablanca of course. What do you mean you've never seen it???