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The Daily Tar Heel

“Allied” left me shook

Shook: defined as “emotionally or physically disturbed, upset” by the Google dictionary. This accurately describes how I felt following my viewing of the newest romantic thriller, “Allied."

Set in 1940s Europe, the evolving relationship between Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan and French Resistance fighter Marianne Beauséjour is beautifully portrayed through stellar directing from Robert Zemeckis (known for an assortment of films: “Back to the Future," “Cast Away," “Forrest Gump" and even “The Polar Express”) and magnificent acting from stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.

Posing as a married couple in Casablanca, Max Vatan (Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Cotillard) grow close as they successfully complete the covert operation of assassinating a German ambassador. Upon completion, Max asks for Marianne to join him in London and become his wife. It is there — while Max continues his duties during World War II — that they have a daughter, named Anna.

However, the honeymoon stage quickly ends as Max is informed by a high ranking official that Marianne could potentially be a German spy, thus requiring him to try a “blue dye” operation — Max is to write down information that is falsely pegged as confidential in order to see if Marianne is indeed working as a spy. If this false information is sent out (and thus intercepted by British officials), then it assuredly means that Marianne is a spy, leaving Max with no choice but to personally execute her. If not, then they’re in the clear.

This is what you see in the previews and trailers that air on TV and YouTube. Notable tension between Pitt and Cotillard, with a “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” vibe blatantly presented, possibly hinting at the movie’s plot. 

This could not be further from the truth.

This is not Mr. and Mrs. Smith Part Two (although there was a fair share of controversy during filming). Nor is it “Mr. and Mrs. Smith: World War II,” or “Mr. and Mrs. Smith: World War Z but Without Zombies and It’s Actually the Second World War,” or “Mr. and Mrs. Smith: At Brangelina’s End,” or “Mr. and Mrs. Smith: The Home-wrecking” or whatever you wish it was. It isn’t any of those.

It is, however, a beautiful depiction of an emotional story, with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard offering powerful performances. Pitt’s character changed from a calm, stoic soldier to a loving husband, frantically fighting to prove his wife’s innocence. Cotillard’s character showed an array of emotions, each presented flawlessly with an air of grace and beauty of such a staggering degree.

It was the type of acting where if neither talked during a scene, their actions and expressions spoke volumes.

There was one scene, especially, where Pitt and Cotillard displayed such incredible passion and love, where their faces… and bodies… wait, that was a sex scene… full on Titanic-in-a-car-sex-but-in-a-car-during-a-sandstorm action.

But you get the point. The two offered masterful performances that made you FEEL for what was going on. It truly left me and my brother shook and at a loss for words (my brother literally told me, “I need a minute,” when the credits began to roll).

I’m not going to tell you if Marianna Beausejour is a German spy or not, nor how the movie ends. You deserve to experience that yourself.

But I will give you a tip: don’t forget to bring a tissue or two… or 27.

It’s your call.

@themark12

swerve@dailytarheel.com

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