Allies

This is my first review, and I was inspired to submit it, in part, by how appalling this film is....and by other reviews giving it a favourable notice and possibly luring people into wasting a couple of hours of their lives watching what is, essentially no more than an animated teenagers comic.... such as the Commando magazines I used to colour in back in the day. The acting and direction are laugh-out- loud bad and the plot, such as it is, ludicrous. It contains all the clichés (All American hero stages a remarkable recovery from near fatal infection, comedy German accents and heroic French peasant popping up the stairs to save the day, trite dedication at the end credits) and corny dialogue. The budget battle scenes look like they were staged by the local historical re-enactment society clumped on the village green on a Sunday afternoon. This film has no redeeming features and I'd be surprised if we see any of the actors portraying the British officers at headquarters ever again. So perhaps, after all, Allies has served a purpose. Honestly, life is short. There are hundreds of better things to do with your time.

Delightful surprise for a film made on such a low budget. Well acted and scripted, this action entry into the WW 2 genre not made by Hollywood, is gripping and maintains the same high standards of the films that came out in the 1960's and 70's. I'm impressed at the overall casting and especially that of an actor who can speak French like somebody who had grown up around Metz. At it's core the film is about the bonding experience between English troops and the American officer chosen to lead the dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Based on actual incidents, Allies works best when doing intimate close combat scenes and those wonderfully believable moments when the characters draw closer and closer as the danger increases. Apart from the set representing HQ back in the UK and the choice of video over film stock, the net effect is much like any mainstream non indie war film done on a bigger budget. Once the action gets going you forget it's not on film stock and just enjoy the perilous roller coaster ride that I thought had been strictly the reserve of Central and Eastern European film makers who's work seldom is seen outside of art houses or past the Polish border. Some surprising performances from a cast that include a former footballer and a boy band member. Nice to see the art form is not dead in Britain. Be warned, it's a war film meant to convey the finality and brutality of combat, if you're a bit squeamish you might want to look away once or twice but nothing extreme or exaggerated.

Allies begins with a good premise, the rivalry between the Yanks and the Brits. On a personal level, having written a book called Zepka's War, parts of which take place in the hedgerows of France, I enjoyed watching the Germans get mowed down in what could have been some of those same hedgerows. But back to the movie. It's understandable that we will likely never see authentic WWII tanks in war movies these days, and that the uniforms will be questionable as to authenticity, but what I will never get used to, and for which there is no excuse, the need for injecting current terms such as "are we good?" are we good to go?" and "Roger that," into WWII films being made today. Are producers and directors really that stupid?

During the heyday of British war films in Fifties, Allies would have fitted in nicely as the B movie to some better fayre. But trying to push it out alone in 2014 was always going to be a disaster. The film received no distribution as it offers nothing we haven't seen a hundred times before. The core audience for films like this is 50+ so there needs to be an angle to even get it noticed. A simple commando raid and journey back through the lines was the staple of so many films (and TV shows), far better done, that it's difficult to maintain any involvement in the shrinking cast of new faces in this. The budget meant that the one German armoured car kept coming up again and again bit like the Daleks going round and round in old Doctor Who. Nobody had a clue how to use their weapons. You do not loose off machine gun rounds from the hip. You'd miss your target and have to reload except you'd be dead by then. You also don't stand up as sitting ducks as the Germans continually do. They gave the Germans the same bullets from When Eagles Dare whilst the Allies bullets were everlasting.Nice but unbelievable. This is a ten year old boy's idea of a war film. Constant gun battles, sacrifices and noise. And the odd tit for Dad. On a streaming service only to fill the shelves.

This is action all the way. So true to life you feel that you are almost there and involved directly in the plot. this film is to highly recommended. I read that it was filmed in the UK but it really does look like foreign fields of France. Some excellent and very convincing acting performances. I was glued to the film every moment of the way. Not normally a fan of war films but this was spectacular. Especially those beautifully warm country scenes during some of the actual battle scenes. Whoever filmed this obviously has a superb eye for photography and picturesque details. All helps to create the foreboding atmosphere. This will definitely be included as one of my all time favorite films.

Rented the film based on a review posted on IMDb providing a glowing account of every aspect of the films creation and seemingly providing new hope for the British war genre. Fair to say then that I had very high expectations, not least, for the supposedly excellent soundtrack! The film fails spectacularly on the soundtrack and on every other facet of good film production. I will ignore synopsis as I am actually unclear to it having seen the film and its readily available through other mediums. Soundtrack is theatrical from the off, when listening (or having to), what springs to mind is gallant soldier risking live and limp, against all odds saving the day for queen and country which is ridiculous, tried, old and portrays war as heroic not the fearful, bloody reality it actually is. For the large part the soundtrack ruins the on screen events and never compliments except of course when the credits are rolling and my suffering is finally coming to an end. Acting is typical British soldier - stiff upper lip or cocky wide boy! Direction, its OK but clearly an amateur behind the shot and one who demonstrates a complete lack of realism to war. Bitterly disappointed yet again by a British movie and flabagastered that the individuals behind this film are able to raise funds and crew to churn out such a mediocre film.

There is an action scene about half way through this movie which is one of the most exciting I've seen in recent memory! I obviously don't want to put up any spoilers but the minefield chase scene with the German tank is worth watching this movie for even if you don't like another frame, which you will because it's great. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see the British fighting in World War Two in a movie because I was beginning to think the Americans were attempting to write us out of history! But forgetting all that, this movie has a real soul, you certainly care about the actors and if you're not careful it'll draw a tear or two as well! Don't get me wrong, it's no to the standard as Saving Private Ryan, then again, what films are, but the fact that I even dare say Allies in the same breath as Ryan, says a lot about this film. If you're a war film fan, this is an absolute must, if you're not, it might just surprise you.

Signed up to IMDb to prevent others from suffering the same fate as myself. I was trying to find this for a while now and was delighted to get a copy of it in HMV today. It took a lot of searching by the staff members to find it as there was only one copy in the store so I felt pretty chuffed after they traced it for for me. However, having just sat through the full movie I now wish they hadn't done their job so well! It was absolutely diabolical! The acting, camera work, script and effects were all laughable. All I can say is that the other reviewers must be involved in the production as no one in their right mind could seriously recommend this movie unless they grew up on a diet of Steven Segal and Chuck Norris movies. Avoid at all costs. Please do not believe the rating of 7.8. My copy is going straight in the bin.

Allies was a real shock! I'm a verging on obsessive war movie fan so when I stumbled across Allies it was a no brainer for me; but I scored an amazing result in that not only had my girlfriend heard of it BEFORE me, she also actually wanted to watch it!! I couldn't believe it! Turns out Matt Willis is in the movie and my Mrs is crazy for his band. This led me on to investigating Allies and it turns out the lead is from Downton Abbey, the McBusted bassist plays the sniper and it's also got ex footballer Frank Leboeuf in the film. This ladies and gents, leads me on to the shock part. Allies is SPECTACULAR!! It has no right to be any good, but somehow it just grips you, both my girlfriend and I cried! The film passes you by in the blink of an eye it moves so fast, the acting is flawless, Matt Willis is responsible for our tears (don't want to say much more about that) and the tension is unbearable. You're never more than a few minutes away from action and I honestly couldn't predict how it was going to end or who was going to survive (very refreshing). Highly recommend this little gem of a movie.

Allies