Robert Zemeckis is one of our greatest living filmmakers. From genre-defining movies, such as Romancing the Stone and Back to the Future, to beloved classics like Forrest Gump, Zemeckis is always looking to push the envelope. Even his misses are interesting, as he’s always looking to innovate within the realm of visual effects. He’ll soon reunite with Tom Hanks on Here later this year, but the new Allied Blu-ray rerelease gives us a chance to look at one of his less-talked-about films.
“From the director of Forrest Gump and Cast Away comes a romantic thriller not to be missed. (Mark S. Allen, ABC-TV). When Intelligence Officer Max Vatan (Academy Award nominee Brad Pitt) learns his wife (Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard) may be secretly working with the enemy, he has only 72 hours to prove her innocence and save his family before he must do the unthinkable,” says the synopsis.
Originally released in 2016, Allied starred two excellent choices to center a romantic drama around — Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. The two both give excellent performances, and the film is gorgeous to look at, as the World War II-era fashion leads to great looks for the leads and an interesting backdrop for the drama. The two have excellent chemistry, even if the wartime drama is a bit uneven in its overall execution.
What I admire so much about Zemeckis is how — with the exception of the Back to the Future trilogy — he rarely ever does the same type of film twice. Allied has little to do with his past romance and war movies, instead becoming a unique blend. Never one to phone it in, Zemeckis is always offering a big swing, and that can be seen in the production quality of Allied.
Sadly, the Allied Blu-ray doesn’t feature a commentary track. I would’ve loved to have gotten Zemeckis’ thoughts on the film. However, there is a 69-minute making-of documentary broken into many sections that includes behind-the-scene footage of Zemeckis at work and him speaking about the film, so you at least get a taste of it. It’s a wide-ranging doc, going over everything from the aspects of World War II they recreated, such as the costumes, weapons and vehicles, to the cast and music. It’s really well done and elevates the disc.
Allied Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict
Allied isn’t one of Robert Zemeckis’ best movies, but it is better than it largely gets credit for. Pitt and Cotillard give excellent performances, the production design is top-notch, and there’s an intriguing love story at the core. The Allied Blu-ray is a great way to give the film another shot and the great making-of doc will give you more appreciation for the craft behind the film as well.
Disclosure: ComingSoon was sent product from the publisher for our Allied Blu-ray review.
