Allied is the classic wartime spy and romance movie. Beautifully shot by Back to the Future and Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis, this star-studded flick has the Hollywood royalty of Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard carrying this epic love story filled with tension, twists and an ending which will leave you breathless. Set in the middle of the Second World War, Allied tells the moving tale of two spies who fall for each other, get married, but then have to confront the fact that their significant other may not be who they said they were.
Brad Pitt plays Max Vatan, a Canadian serviceman who is told in no uncertain terms by his superiors that his former allied French spy wife could be an agent for the Nazis. Torn between the love for his wife and his doubt and search for the truth, Pitt is adept at playing the old-time Hollywood leading man, akin to Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy, while Cotillard plays Marianne Beauséjour - his sultry and enigmatic wife - with the grace and allure of a Katharine Hepburn. Allied is an homage to the great period pieces of the past and will transport audiences from the beautiful deserts of French Morocco to the gritty bomb-ridden London streets with its skilled cinematography and storytelling.
As a film about hearsay and not knowing who or what to trust, it seems almost inevitable that Allied would be accompanied by some controversy off-screen as well, particularly given the sheer good looks of the leads. This spy movie immediately drew comparisons with Pitt’s previous spy-spouse flick, Mr & Mrs Smith and naturally the gossip mill went into overdrive – is Cotillard going to be Pitt’s new Angelina Jolie? Was their chemistry too good to just be acting? How could they do that one scene in the desert and not feel anything? However, the responses to these rumours were swift, with pregnant Cotillard and her husband hitting back at the rumours, but the controversy didn’t just die down.
Striking resemblance - Is Allied a period-piece version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith?
Adding fuel to the supposed illicit romance was the unfortunate timing of Jolie filing for divorce, after two years of marriage and a decade long relationship with Pitt. Amid reports that Jolie hired a private investigator to spy on the duo during filming and allegations of Pitt assaulting one of his kids, Allied and its promotion was caught up in the whirlwind. In late 2016, there were even reports that Pitt would skip out on all Allied press in light of his personal troubles. Thankfully, he did walk a few red carpets and the film went on to reach some Box Office heights.
Despite the surrounding gossip and hearsay about the film, it’s difficult to ignore the chemistry between the two leads, with the attraction and romance in Allied being pretty electric. And though some may watch this film simply to see how true the gossip rags were, don’t let this overshadow what is an epic, moving and solid wartime romantic film – it’s one not to be missed.
Marion Cotillard Addresses Comparisons Between Allied and Mr & Mrs Smith
