Review: "Allied" Starts Out Strong, But Quickly Fizzles Out

DETROIT (WWJ) - Max Vatan is a Canadian World War II operative who parachutes into occupied Casablanca in 1942. Marianne Beausejour is a beautiful French resistance fighter who is chosen to pose as his wife. When the two deadly assassins join forces to carry out an extraordinarily dangerous mission -- to take out Germany's ambassador -- they unexpectedly fall madly in love with one another.

It's quite a story, isn't it? But, it's one that's not all that unusual. Research shows that such romances were known to spark among some World War II operatives, especially since men and women often worked closely together and posed undercover as couples.

In "Allied," that's exactly what happens between Vatan and Beausejour. After Vatan's parachute lands, the two meet, the mission begins and the excitement kicks in. But, unfortunately, the excitement only lasts for about a quarter of the way through the movie. The goal is for the intrigue to take over; for viewers to be kept in suspense, wondering whether love would prevail when the mission ends and Vatan returns home. Is his new wife, Marianne, a spy or isn't she?

While I won't reveal the answer to that question -- I wouldn't want to ruin the movie after all -- I will say that once the story starts to revolve around that question, the excitement starts to fizzle out. Instead of spending so much time focusing on Marianne's home life as a wife and mother, the story could have dedicated more time to seeing her in action, even if it were done through a series of flashbacks. Or even if the audience learned the answer to that question, but Vatan were kept in suspense.

My suggestion for filmgoers: save your hard-earned cash and check this movie out once it hits DVD or VOD.

"Allied" stars Brad Pitt as Max Vatan and Marion Cotillard as Marianne Beausejour.

See you at the movies!

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