Allies (2014) User Reviews

A Commendable low budget British independent guys on a mission war flick

[azanti0029 · 5/10 · 6 November 2014]

I will prefix this review by stating that I have no personal connection to the film at all. I am history buff and like to support British indy films, so that is why I bought it.

About every three months or so as if by weird synchronicity a World War 2 movie on DVD you have never heard of will magically appear on the shelves of your local Tescoe's or Sainsbury's - Often their starring people you have also never heard of or occasionally one vaguely familiar name from television somewhere. Sometimes their films from Russia, Norway, Poland Or Denmark and even the biggest budget of those can often disappoint (See my review for Stalingrad) While others like Citeron and Flame are superb pieces of work - Other times their extremely low budget and appear to have been made at the behest of all the worst ideas possible (See Rhineland) Others are well crafted little films that do their best with extremely limited resources - The best of these so far has been the Saints and Soldiers series (I have the third one awaiting my viewing pleasure next door) Frequently these films have rather glossy artwork covers, invariably with a picture of a tank that almost never appears in the actual movie and a visual display that suggests far more action and adventure than the film goes on to deliver. Allies does feature an actual tank, but its not on the cover of the DVD - As luck would have it the makers of Allies have realised that good casting and decent dialogue rather than a tank on the cover, for a better film do make!

Allies is an earnest attempt at creating a boy's own War Movie old school style and while they don't quite have the budget to pull it off entirely they certain have a dam good try.

Its the summer of 1944, The Normandy Campaign is over and the Allies are steaming into France and heading to the Dutch, Belgian and German borders. The Germans are preparing their defences and getting ready to fall behind The West Wall, so our heroes led by Captain Gabriel Jackson (Julian Ovendon from Downton Abbey) are to parachute in and attack a small convoy led by an SS commander who is touring the local defences and has maps of their dispositions. But the enemy seems to know their coming - could their be a traitor in their midst?

Such is the rather simple set up of ALLIES - Okay so its not a plot on par with 'Where Eagles Dare' though there were moments when radio calls were being made which led myself and my friends to call out 'Broadsword calling Danny Boy! The traitor in the midst seems rather obvious from the word go due to the over acting of the gentleman concerned, but on the whole this is a very made movie. Good Production Design and Photography stand out here and the acting from some of the members of the squad is especially good - special mentions to Matt Willis, Chris Reily, Leon Vickers and Edmund Kingsley all of whom make their mark, the latter almost with no dialogue at all. The film isn't perfect by any means - While care is taken in the earlier scenes to establish these characters it seems a shame that several of them die 45 minutes into the movie (Two of the best actors among them) and the Germans continually turning up gets repetitive after a while offering little in the way of surprises. A toe amputation scene felt added for gory effect but on the whole this is a well made, well intentioned film with German actor for hire Eric Redman commanding the Wehrmacht ranks along with every re- inactor they could get giving it a bigger than its actual budget feel. Three of us watched it last night and we can be quite critical, especially of war movies, but we all enjoyed it and while the plot and aspects of the story could have been stronger and the summary at the end of the film really only adds a historical context which is tenuous at best to the story that preceded it, this is well worth seeing and something of which all who were involved in it can be proud of.

Action-packed but somewhat ludicrous

[rlobb · 6/10 · 31 March 2016]

"Allies" is an exciting, action-packed war movie that can be very enjoyable if you can get over the fact that it is rather ludicrous and predictable. If every Allied soldier killed that many Germans, the war would have been over in six months. And one could only wish that Allied tanks would have shown up in such a timely manner. It rather reminded me of WWII shows that used to appear on American TV, except that some of them (especially "Combat!") were superior, dramatically speaking. But who doesn't like a slam-bang story of commando action, combat, betrayal, and even a little romance? Not a great war movie by any means, but not a bad film if you are willing to suspend a rather large portion of disbelief.

This is what you need to know.

[jimmymise · 5/10 · 19 April 2015]

The people that say this movie is "sensational" are obviously connected with it somehow. Or they should have their IMDb review privileges suspended. That being said, the movie isn't all that bad, especially for those of us that crave any new World War II movies we can get our hands on. Most of the problems are technical. It looks like much of the film went straight from the video camera to the final cut without any processing in between. It needed a much better cinematographer.

Many of the special effects were a little rough including some mortar hits or mines or something that looked like an air cannon or fire extinguisher shooting up out of the ground.

The other comments about the movie needing a better military adviser are spot on. Some of the tactics in the movie are not seen in any other film. Like keeping your men grouped really tightly as you move through the woods and fields. Or standing in a long "civil war-esque" line while you fire your weapons.

But I did not regret watching this movie and recommended it to my father who is also a WWII movie buff. You could do far worse.

A Throwback to the Fifties

[toxfly · 3/10 · 26 May 2015]

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.

Why didn't they use a Military Adviser?

[simonmacks · 2/10 · 7 March 2015]

I watched ten minutes of this movie then had to leave it.

The opening battle was implausible. As another reviewer noted there were groups standing and firing at each other - like a civil war movie more than a WWII one. Senior officer commanding a Platoon level action while wearing his gorget patches in the field. Refers to his subordinate leaders as Company Captains. British troops had Company Commanders who were Majors. US command companies with Captains.

Then onto a briefing about the coming mission. The SGT comes to attention like a kid would if playing at soldiers. Servicemen will understand what I mean. Briefing was light on detail and delivered by a senior officer who sounded like a voice over man. Then the British soldiers all salute like recruits with no head dress on.

I figured it wasn't going up hill from here so I decided to spend my time on something that didn't make me want to shout at the TV.

Might sound picky but these were glaring issue that set the scene for for a poor movie.

I love low budget films and will happily make allowances for realism flaws. But the flaws in this weren't due to cost except maybe the fee for an adviser.

oh dear

[darthurs · 1/10 · 3 March 2015]

I find myself being burned quite frequently these days by the review scores on IMDb. I guess it is a testament to the sites popularity that efforts are obviously made these days to drive up scores.

Personally when I see an above average score I double check on rotten tomatoes, where Allies doesn't even have a score - IE it's gone completely unnoticed into the world.

Anyhoo, I won't waste your time with the plot which has been covered in other reviews. Nor will I dwell on the diabolical script / camera work etc.

I'm a WW2 buff so gave this a punt, but much as I love the genre I do require a bit of realism from battle scenes and I got none of that here.

For example, British para's - I was one - do NOT wear red berets in combat (for reasons I'd hope would be obvious). The soldiers in the film did, whilst they stood around in bunched groups trading pot shots with the Germans. The para who poked his up over the grass verge to take a quick peek wearing what was effectively a red lantern on his head deserved what happened, sniped of all things by a machine gunner.

Whilst still under fire squaddies do not take a break to run back to a fallen comrade and squat by him - in the open - to bemoan the tragedies of war.

Give this one a miss.

what a mess!

[MovieIQTest · 4 March 2015]

jumping to German occupied France in broad daylight wearing leather shoes? a high ranking major was a German spy and mole in the British army? most of the fighting scenes were either one-sided or just complete messy arrangements. the french resistant hid in a big house with tunnels without an escape arrangement? and they tried to run away when they were surrounded by the German army, they ran into a mine field right next to their secret hideout, are you kidding me? when they went to the pre-arranged rendezvous in the forest at night, why it's so bright? what and where was the bright light coming from? when the German army showed up at night and started the shooting, sometimes it's pitch black but most of the time, the illumination was just so bright, sometimes it's on the left, sometimes it came from the right, and sometimes it's right behind them in the center. then a short fling with a french woman and love making right away? yeah, right, could you just give me another generous break again? 5 or 6 guys of the so-called allies almost eliminated several hundreds of gemans with tanks and plenty of fire power with machine guns....wow, this is indeed a miraculous movie. but since the allies had won the wwii, the winner could do whatever they like and made the loser German force like morons. a typical self-indulgent masturbation that only served to the winning side. the Germans, the japs, the Chinese nationalist party, they were all morons, and the winning parties could rewrite their own histories whatever they preferred.

Wanna Be "Where Eagles Dare" Makes the Grade

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 7 March 2015]

Writer & director Dominic Burns and co-scenarist Jeremy Sheldon must have watched director Brian G. Hutton's "Where Eagles Dare" (1968) when they scripted their secret mission World War II movie "Allies." Although the Burns & Sheldon screenplay, with "Riot" scribe James Crow receiving story credit, bears a great deal of resemblance to the Alistair MacLean penned "Where Eagles Dare, "Allies" isn't a comparable tour-de-force thriller. Nevertheless, this low-budget wartime actioneer delivers the goods in spades when a lone American officer commanding of group of seasoned British commandos plunge behind enemy lines on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge to create havoc. Like "Where Eagles Dare," a saboteur lurks in the wings while our guys set out to relieve a German officer of his map pouch so they can find out where the big guns are station. Happily, the British aren't too taken with an American leading them, but Brigadier General Groves (Steve Hartley of "Split Second") points out to the reluctant English that Americans concocted the plan. Unfortunately, the U.S. Rangers are otherwise preoccupied with other critical concerns, so the best resource turns out to be the British. Initially, the British encounter difficulties getting along with their leader, Captain Gabriel Jackson (Julian Ovenden of "The Forsyte Saga"), but they manage to resolve their differences. They find themselves up to their ears in Germans, and sometimes the Germans get the upper hand. Burns paints his heroes into a corner and springs several surprises, particularly with regard to the saboteur. The chief debit of "Allies" is that the objective that they seek is just maps, but the enemy does pose a genuine threat. The two guys who have little use for each other, Jackson and Sergeant Harry McBain (Chris Reilly of "Game of Thrones"), resolve their differences under gunfire. Burns stages several decent action scenes, and the cast is sturdy enough. "Allies" ranks as an above-average World War II actioneer in a budget.

One of the worst movies ever

[ghajas · 1/10 · 20 May 2015]

Similar to others before me I was registering to IMDb right now to help correct the over-ratings of this title.

This movie is really awful. Not one full minute is enjoyable. It has no relation to WWII, military or history. Not even to common sense.

I would not say you should avoid this movie. Take as a parody! But in this category Top Secret is better...

The only positive thing to mention is that the makers tried to collect historically correct equipment - and they mostly succeeded. Although utilizing the items and the reenactment personnel is just a big mess, lacking any logic.

Overview

[aloneindark43 · 7/10 · 2 March 2015]

Camera work,Direction and acting-5.0. But if you love the world war 2,Allies will walk you through one of the first operational British(Maybe World's) Commando unit to the French resistance(Vive France) and encircling Germans with the usual Panzer,Half tracks and the formidable army. With the spectacular plot-Espionage and Spy Operations still movie fails to deliver the momentum a great historical movie delivers. Also nearly all the foreign characters are also played by Britishers Example-The Us Captain. So the movie lacks the basic polish that ceases to exist without the native actors. Still my recommendation is to watch the flick as it's belongs to the WW-2 Covert Operations category and not many movies have been developed on that matter. The only other movie I can remember is Age of Heroes. Good Luck and Enjoy the movie.

Is this a made-for-TV movie?

[dalescotbates · 3/10 · 20 March 2015]

If this was a made for TV film then it's OK and, more or less, worth a watch. If it wasn't then shame on the producers. Alright, it's quite clear that they had very little money to work with but having the Germans and Allies fighting by standing in a line very close together and firing without even bothering to find cover is just plain lazy. To be fair, the main actors are reasonable but I kind of gave up about 15 minutes from the end. I wouldn't go as far as to say that I wanted one of the Germans to come to life and shoot me to put me out of my misery but the thought did cross my mind. However, if this was a film made by a bunch of lads on a shoestring budget then they may be on to something but next time ask some old soldier about basic battle drills.

Great British War Movies are BACK!

[frompagescreen · 8/10 · 2 November 2014]

In the later half of 1944. A four man team of British Commandos are seconded for a secret snatch 'n' grab mission to recover detailed military maps being held by the Germans. Tagging alongside the team is American Captain Jackson (played by Julian Ovenden).

And that my friends and Allies is all the story I shall deliver at this point. I discovered the storyline firsthand, and I 100% recommend you also do the same.

Allies is Directed by Dominic Burns, a filmmaker whose career I have followed pretty closely for the past few years. One thing I love about the films that Dominic Burns gets involved in is that they are all different. From the horror film 'Cut', to the comedy film 'How To Stop Being A Loser' through the science fiction film 'UFO' (also known as Alien Uprising) , and including the thriller films Airborne ,

Dominic never seems to tackle the same genre twice and I can't help wondering if there is a musical or an animated film on the horizon at some point waiting to appear on his filmography.

Part way through the viewing of the film, I realised that whilst I have always figured Dominic tackles different genres each and every time. I realised that they all had one thing in common. People..If you strip back the covers on all the films Dominic has done to the bare minimum, you'll see that his films are about people, and the relationships they have with each other.

For all the fantastic set pieces (and they are most certainly fantastic) in Allies, the gunbattles, the planes and explosions. For me the heart of Allies is just that. Allies. Its about the comoradery , that band of brothers feeling that a lot of military films convey, But a lot don't. Allies certainly does give you that feeling of one man willing to take a bullet for the man next to him.

So whilst you might think you have seen all that the 'men on a mission' films can offer. You really haven't. Allies is fantastic in so many ways. It is beautiful to look at, Praise needs to be given to both the director and also his camera crew. Its outstanding and epic to watch and hear as the story unfolds from start fo finish. As much as I love the work of Dominic Burns. If you sit down and watch each of his films in the order they were released. You'll see the quality of the films ramp up with each new project. That my friends is a filmmaker who knows what he is doing but still learning more and more with each new film. But more than the learning new things, he is using those new lessons to make his next film better than the last (and I love the last film) and surround himself with the best team out there (such as Jake 'Doghouse' West, James 'Tower Block' Nunn, Poppy Lloyd -the highest regarded casting agent out there) and many more)

It would be so easy to write a review (although is it a review if I am not delving into too many plot details) where I go through a list of the things I loved about it Acting:CHECK, Directing:CHECK, Editing:CHECK and so on. Thats the easy way out.

Kudos do go to all the cast though, what a wonderful mix of actors (and actresses) from very different styles of projects. Whether its Leon Vickers (Doctor Who), Edmund Kingsley (The Borgias, and the up and coming Artificial Horizon), Chris Reilly (Game Of Thrones, Everest) or Matt Willis (McBusted) who make up the core group of the cast as the Allies themselves (Matt Willis is wonderful as sniper Billy) The whole cast are excellent actually. Upon looking at the filmographies of the cast. I was stunned to learn that Chris Reillys first credit was in 2010. The guy has the acting chops that display a lifetime of excellence and I cant wait to follow this guys career from project to project as well as the other cast members, some of whos work I was familiary with before Allies, some I wasn't.

But lets get back to the film. In fact lets get back to the sound. My god, whoever did the sound mix on Allies. Thank you, thank you and thank you. I haven't seen a film with this good a soundmix for a long time. From the ambient noise of forests, to the tank blasting craziness of war accompanied by one of the most beautiful film scores I have heard this year.(the score is composed and conducted by Phillippe Jakko), Allies is the sort of film that makes you want to rush out and get a huge soundbar or a 7.1 surround system or whatever number they are up to now. Allies is the sort of film that begs to be watched on a huge screen with the most perfect sound set up) I aim to get one of those soon and Allies will be a first watch on it.With the fact that I have seen over 250 films this year. One thing is written in stone. Dominic Burns has created yet another film thats blown my socks (and ears) off.

Thank you, thank you oh and thank you to all the cast and crew who put sweat and perhaps tears into this film. For me as a film fan. You hard work has been worth it. Now lets get others watching the film.

Okay film I guess

[normangrochowski · 7/10 · 18 June 2017]

I read the other reviews and they are a bit more knowledgeable on details of war and weapons etc.

My only complaint is that the cameraman can't hold the camera still. Did they think that during the shootout in the tank scene was going to make it seem more real if they were jostling the camera up and down? Or maybe they wanted the viewer to feel dizzy, like I'm going through a real battle or something.

I'm sure jostling the camera every once in a while is necessary for some effect, but this was almost like the bouncy camera work amateurs do on Youtube.

Do not believe the high rating

[morganronan · 1/10 · 17 November 2014]

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.

Just how stupid are today's film makers?

[spwyner-569-31055 · 15 June 2015]

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?

Very Very Poor

[petie86 · 1/10 · 28 June 2015]

I have never reviewed a film before, but this is that awful I decided too. Had to turn off after first 10 minutes,

Beret's and uniform were completely wrong, 5 minutes with any adviser would have fixed most problems.

the opening scenes were just ludicrous and unrealistic,

This is not the time of redcoats and muskets or WW1 with a whistle to tell the guys togo over the top, and a General leading 50 troops, just would not happen, the tactics were all wrong I just had to laugh and turn it off.

Worst 10 minutes of a film I have EVER seen

mediocre film... but I was not expecting much to start

[kassdo · 2/10 · 4 April 2015]

Enough has been written about how bad the film from so many production aspects. What was bothersome was the story line with the female French teacher. Nice to look at, just did not see the need for it, especially with the hazy focus and the see through curtains. Just Strange scene, interrupted by the bad guys of course. Additionally, they never explained what drove a career officer to become a traitor?

The most offensive thing was after watching movie cliché SS acts of violence the producers of the film dedicated the film to the men and women on both sides of the war??? What was that all about? Very offensive to see that at the end. It was almost like they were trying to be politically correct for a German audience.

What did he say?

[leewilkerson77 · 1/10 · 25 May 2015]

I couldn't hear speech because the background music and gunfire was so loud.

This would be okay if the writer thought none of the speech was relevant to the movie, but I really don't think this is the case.

This is also not the first British-made movie in which I have experienced such a fiasco of sound level management. I personally am not ready to subject my sound system to such crass disregard.

If this is the way some people think their movies should sound, I'm checking out someone else's product and these producers will miss my votes.

Good and evil

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 18 November 2016]

Another reviewer stated that this is more of an adolescent way of displaying war. And I would agree that this in no way can hold its own against the heavyweights of war movies. But if you look at it for what it is (entertainment, low budget), it does fulfill its purpose overall in doing what is sets out to do.

Germans are bad, Brits are great and other "obvious" things like that are on display here. But it's the theme and the easy way out. Also while based on real war, this is still a movie. I didn't think I would watch a history documentary and no one else should feel or think that way. If you can wrap your head around that, the movie is pretty decent

Surprisingly Bad

[timlittle · 3/10 · 24 May 2015]

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.

Great war film if you can get over the historical inaccuracies

[Eliteskeet · 7/10 · 12 July 2015]

While this movie has some notable historical inaccuracies and "dumb enemy syndrome," it is an exciting and action-packed movie that most fans of war films will enjoy.

I thought the action sequences and special effects were excellent for a lower budget film, although the music/environmental sounds are often heavy and make the combat dialog hard to hear. The plot is solid enough to be interesting and the film is packed with explosions and gunfire.

This film is nowhere near the same tier as Saving Private Ryan or Downfall, but it kept me very entertained and left me surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

If I could have rated it ZERO I would have.

[richkeenan · 1/10 · 31 August 2015]

There really is not much that can be said for this film apart from it is truly awful. How this has managed to get such a high rating on here is beyond me. I am seriously starting to doubt the scoring and ranking on IMDb. The acting is so wooden it is laughable, the camera work is terrible and the historical and military inaccuracies are unforgivable. I can forgive a few mistakes but this has so many it detracts from what is going on far too much. I don't know what the director did before this film but I thought at one point in the beginning it was a video for a cheesy song by Daniel O'Donnell or Val Doonican or the best of love compilation songs. I love war films and I have sat through some real rubbish ones but this may very well be the worst war film I have ever seen. Don't waste your time on this garbage.

Action Packed War Movie!

[fightmywayout · 8/10 · 18 November 2014]

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.

Engaging

[eamonnjotoole · 6/10 · 4 December 2021]

An engaging film- not exceptional but very good in parts- especially in capturing the camaraderie between the British troops- the dialogue between them is fast paced and witty.

I do not recommend you watching it, -wast of time

[jayneshbrodien · 1/10 · 12 February 2021]

The story is predictable, acting was alright, the VFXs could have been better but the camera works is really bad, to much cuts, tilted shots, and cameras shake. And it looks like some shots is been reused for 2 or 3 times. Stopped half way in the movie cause i got bored watching it.