[yasr_overall_rating]
In 1942, an intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.
Brad Pitt as Max Vatan has a nostalgic role in a thriller that is interesting as it follows the lives of two people who become lovers in Africa, are torn apart and then rekindle their relationship in another city, London, after both their hearts have literally been hardened with the downside of war. Max has so much love for French Resistance Fighter Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard), that he fails to realize that he was caught dead in the middle of an espionage case that makes him a constant target for the spies. While their main goal is to protect one another, each of them has a duty to protect themselves and their rebel causes. Additionally, the whole “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” comparison is hard to ignore, and even with a different Mrs. and a slower moving theme, it is incredibly too familiar to digest as separate entities.
For lovers of war stories, this 1942 version of defense and strategies may be just what the doctor ordered as the plot develops well and the outcome is relative to most war stories that end with blood on someone’s hands. For me though, the most complicated thing was the ability to discern whether the enemies ever realized they could never be friends while carrying out the true purpose of their existence.
Honestly, I was cautiously optimistic about this film knowing a couple of facts beforehand. The first is that Director Robert Zemeckis, who also directed “Forrest Gump,” “Castaway” and “Flight,” is no stranger to solid films of mass appeal and of massive success. Secondly, this is Brad Pitt’s fourth World War II movie which makes him a pro in uniform. The problem is that even with this high level of anticipation, I was slightly disappointed that while the forming of the plot was a success, the foundation of the entire story was a bit weak and underwhelming.
In theaters Wednesday, November 23rd
