An excerpt from my script review for Allied which will be available 11/29/16:
3.) Quality of Characters
The individual characters were good, but not what I want to focus on here.
For this section let’s look at the “fifth character” of this story, and that’s the setting.
(Now you’re trying to figure out the first four!)
Knowing that Mr. Knight also writes for Peaky Blinders it’s not surprising that the setting feels authentic, from the music playing to the “seize the day” attitudes during wartime.
At the opening of certain scenes, we’re given the particular style of music playing over the radio, or on a record. Usually that sort of thing is a “no, no” but here it worked. It wasn’t so much “listen to THIS song” as it was information that played in the back or your mind, allowing for a more three dimensional story to unfold as you read.
At first I was annoyed, thinking the writer was trying to be a showoff, but when you factor in the other minor, yet insightful, details of what people wore, the air raid balloons, etc. it wasn’t “look how smart I am” so much as saying, “If we’re going to do this period piece, let’s do it properly!”
That’s appreciated.
On the “seize the day” attitudes, we’re given scenes where the younger generation is described as a “hedonistic” society living every day as if it’s their last, and when you live in a city being bombed every night, it very well could be.
Was also believable that Max’s sister could have a gay relationship out in the open and still be accepted, even this far in the past, because there’s bigger shit to worry about for society as a whole.
Then stack on top of it the spy stuff, where all members were very good at what they did, and this script was believable, and instead of worrying about over the top Bond style action sequences, one can simply enjoy the story.
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