The Oscar-winning creator of the world-famous masterpieces “Forrest Gump” and the “Back to the Future” trilogy once again amaze their fans. His previous “Walk” did not receive any of the various cinematic awards and nominations for all his ambitiousness. Released in 2016, the "Allies" were waiting for a similar fate. A stylish but frankly weak spy war drama about a Canadian special agent who, at the height of World War II, suspects his wife of treason, has mixed reviews with an IMDb rating of 7.10. The film "Allies" has led many to think that Robert Zemeckis is losing his grip. The disagreement in the family of Pitt and Jolie on the eve of the premiere helped the military drama pay off at the box office, but most spectators and critics expressed dissatisfaction with the desire of the authors of the tape to idealism in everything. The director tried to create a perfect idyll, the destruction of which was supposed to shock the audience. But as a result, he turned out an implausible melodrama with an unhappy ending.
History at the core
The events of the film "Allies" (2016) unfold in 1942, when the Canadian pilot Max (Brad Pitt) with a sabotage mission is landing in Morocco. He was instructed to eliminate the newly arrived German ambassador. An experienced Resistance special agent, the charming Marianne (Marion Cotillard), acts as a liaison in the operation. After completing the assignment, the heroes are evacuated to Britain, getting married and having a baby. A year passes, the authorities inform Max that Marianne is most likely an imposter and a spy. If this can not be refuted, Max must personally deal with his wife. If he refuses to carry out the order, then, of course, he will be a traitor and will go to the tribunal.
Many authors of the reviews of the movie “Allies” (2016) notice that Zemeckis’s work is based on a real love story between two spies who met during an operation to eliminate a German official. Therefore, the tape may claim to be realistic, but, from the point of view of historical authenticity, the story about the work of special services is rather doubtful, individual episodes can cause only a sarcastic smirk on the watchers.
Not in patterns
One of the fundamental canons of Hollywood feature films states that each project should as soon as possible get closer to the main conflict, which will be resolved in the climax. Therefore, the prologue is traditionally given 10-15 minutes, no matter how curious it may be. According to reviews, the film "Allies" neglects this rule. The creators of the two-hour tape only in the middle of the story decide to inform the audience that the main character may well be a spy, and her husband will either have to justify her wife, or expose and eliminate if the impostor turns out to be a fascist agent. Critics claim that the well-deserved and wise cinematographers, director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Stephen Knight, known as the author of Export Defect, deliberately go for this bold experiment.
Parallel Games
Why did the authors break all Hollywood traditions? Many reviewers in the reviews of the movie "Allies" justify their decision by the fact that the creators could not deny themselves the pleasure to recreate the atmosphere of Morocco in 1940, previously sung in the legendary military film "Casablanca". At the same time, Zemeckis and Knight willingly play with plot parallels, although the two paintings tell completely different stories. To everything else, they first try to convince the public of the sincerity of the feelings of the main characters, and then already subject them to tests. That is why, during the first hour of the project’s timing, they talk in detail about the acquaintance of Max and Marianne, the formation of their romantic feelings. Of course, it can’t do without chases and shootings, but still the first half of the project is a natural melodramatic love story, and not an action story about a daring sabotage.
Amazement and protest
Unfortunately, as critics remarked in reviews of the movie "Allies", the idea of ​​Knight and Zemeckis fails for a very banal reason. Cotillard and Pitt are very attractive, charming, brightest performers, but between them there is no romantic spark at all. No matter how the authors try to convince the audience of the passion of their heroes, their efforts cause amazement and internal protest. The main actors of the movie "Allies" (2016) tried to perfectly embody their characters on the screen, but they managed to do it with difficulty. Cotillard retained a mysterious expression on her face, it was difficult for the beholder to determine what she was thinking at any given moment, what feelings she was going through. Brad Pitt completely resembled a hunted rabbit, as if fearing the appearance of an angry Angelina Jolie. It is unlikely that such a physiognomy should be with a brave scout and experienced pilot. Translation of the film "Allies" (2016) by domestic dubbing actors does not save the situation.
As a result, the first part of the tape does not fail due to the skillful transfer of Moroccan exoticism, and the second does not have enough screen time to cover all the ups and downs of a full-fledged spy story with a mass of unpredictable plot twists, an intriguing confrontation of “bad” and “good” heroes.
Paradox
The second hour of the film’s timing is that the protagonist frantically tries to find people who are familiar with the real Marianne and are able to dispel or confirm the charges against his wife. Marianne at that time remains calm calm, the villains do not do anything outstanding. In this, of course, there is a certain intrigue, and the authors successfully dilute the dialogs with action scenes. But it’s still clear that the picture could be much more exciting if the creators initially introduced Marianne as a double agent and tried to focus on the confrontation of loving heroes, as in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” Many reviewers were perplexed why Marianne was originally supposed to be a warrior and a professional spy, if after that she acts only as a caring mother and a humble housewife. And there is absolutely no difference whether watching the movie “Allies” (2016) in Russian or in the original voice acting - the impression does not change in any case.
Losing in cruelty
The finale of the tape reflects a look at the Second World War, which is unlikely to please our compatriots. Frankly speaking, “Allies” with endless gatherings in cafes, elegant outfits and other attributes of a civilized society clearly lose in realism and cruelty to the masterpieces of Soviet and Russian cinema about the Second World War. There, the heroes do not crawl out of the trenches, confront the hordes of invaders, die a martyr death for their homeland, and do not attend riotous parties with music, dancing and crates of beer. Zemeckis shows the war of those who were hiding behind the English Channel, while our ancestors heroically fought near Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad.
Criticism
It is difficult to attribute the Allies project (2016) to the best films due to the fact that he received mixed ratings from critics. On the Rotten Tomatoes website, according to 250 reviews by cinema experts, it has a rating of 60%, that is, a rating of 6 points out of 10 possible. Based on 45 user reviews on the Metacritic website, the film was rated 60% out of 100.
At the same time, the “Allies” cannot be called the worst film project about a war ever made. Its advantages are mainly in the high-budget scrupulous recreation of London and Morocco, but not in the development of a dramatic, tough and convincing narrative. The claimed topic is poorly disclosed, if not primitive.
Spectacular entertainment
The only thing the audience’s expectations will not be deceived in is entertainment. Robert Zemeckis was able to demonstrate all the advantages of a classic action movie: exploding bombs and shells, falling planes, chases, gunfights, hand-to-hand skirmishes, stylish costumes, enchanting scenery and natural shooting. Yes, and just get distracted, enjoy the charming appearance and lively play of the creative duo Pitt - Cotillard no one can stop you. But still, after watching the picture, the belief that Pitt with his heroic appearance is more suitable for ambiguous or even “bad” heroes like those played in Fight Club or Inglourious Basterds, is growing dramatically.