"Allied" is a triumph of craft. Director Robert Zemeckis is, just like his buddy Steven Spielberg, an expert at the cinematic tropes that have enriched film history over the last 100+ years. This is an ode to old-fashioned storytelling and, if you're willing to accept this, the film is a richly satisfying ride. Of course, if the central relationship between Pitt and Cotillard was a little more developed, defined, established, whatever you will, the final punch in the gut the film delivers in its final shot might have stirred the emotions a little more. Alas, this is the movie we get: A well-told and well-acted film that does its job and does it well. Earlier today I spoke about how "un-cinematic" "Fences" felt, well "Allied" is the complete opposite, a film that is eerily nostalgic for a time and place that it seems almost completely out of step with the now. THAT, in essence, makes it feel like a very touching cinematic valentine to a bygone era of filmmaking.