Allied (2016)

This World War II espionage film by director Robert Zemeckis is good, but feels a little late, and a little safe. I can image myself loving this movie if it came out around 2002, but this nicely constructed film sadly feels like something I've seen before, no doubt in part because we've seen Brad Pitt in a couple of really good World War II movies already. Pitt is never really that interesting in this film, at least not until towards the end when faced with the prospect that this good solders wife, and mother of his child, may in fact be a Nazi spy. Marion Cotillard has the plumb part and gives by far the most impressive performance in the film, she's enticing, yet vague, and possibly dangerous, human gossamer.

The movie takes its lead from those really good British "question the identity of your loved ones" films from during The War, like Ministry of Fear, The Adventures of Tartu, or even Night Train to Munich. There is also some of The Small Back Room here, along with Five Graves to Cairo, and a good chunk of the film is actually set in Casablanca. Zemeckis always does well with his homage and period settings, though ironically this is one of his lest distinctly Zemeckian works, it feels like the kind of film most any competent director could make. I don't blame Zemeckis for trying, in fact I think he succeeds, and what director doesn't have espionage movie, and World War II film on their moving making bucket list. This is at heart still a good movie, and I found the ending effecting enough to bump it up a half star, but it's sadly not the masterpiece it makes motions of wanting to be. Still I'd say worth seeing. ***1/2