Review: ALLIED

Casablanca Ki Maa Ki

1.5 stars

Mini Review:

Set during the World War 2, this romance between Wing Commander Max Vatan and Marianne Beausejour comes under the scanner when the spy agency suspects that Marianne is a German spy. Even though the cast is amazing, the plot plods along a predictable path, and the result is tiresome watch.

Main Review:

With a cast like Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard to play the lead, a romance set among spies and war should have been sublime. Alas! Despite the valiant effort made by Marion Cotillard to look stunning, the chemistry between the two lead actors is no more than a rather wet dishrag.

The art direction is stupendous. The airfield and the uniforms are stunning, as are the German automobiles and guns and uniforms. Hobar, the German officer who holds the invites to the German Ambassador’s party is played by August Diehl (you saw him in Inglourious Basterds and Salt) makes more of an impact in his small role than the hero does in the entire movie.

Brad Pitt falls in love with his supposed collaborator, resistance leader Marion Cotillard in Casablanca. Had they set this part of the movie anywhere else, the audience would have been forgiving. But the whole set up in Casablanca is so pathetic, their attempt to cash in on the movie history the city holds no water at all. In fact, Marion Cotillard’s splendid gowns and laugh does nothing at all. And no matter how many intimate scenes they fake as pretend husband and wife, their ‘falling in love’ seems like a bad Hollywood trope.

The film actually begins when the two come to London and settle down as real husband and wife. But then again predictability rules. You just realise how pointless the whole exercise is and leave the theater making a note of the excellent mustard yellow gloves Marion wears…

(this review appears on nowrunning dot com)