From the award-winning director of Pride and Prejudice comes a stunning, critically acclaimed epic story of love. When a young girl catches her sister in a passionate embrace with a childhood friend, her jealousy drives her to tell a lie that will irrevocably change the course of all their lives forever. Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an all-star cast in the film critics are hailing "the year's best picture" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).
Director Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice) gives Ian McEwan's bestselling novel a sumptuous treatment for the screen that should come to be regarded as one of the defining films of the epic romantic drama. Indeed, everything about this film stems from those three words: there is little here that is not epic, romantic, and dramatic, and Atonement is a film that masterfully expresses the overarching sense of adventure and emotion that such stories are meant to convey. In this instance, the story centers around the love story of highborn Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and housekeeper's son Robbie Turner (James McAvoy, in a star-making turn), in England shortly before World War II. Despite their class differences, they are powerfully attracted to each other, and just as their relationship begins Robbie is tragically forced away due to false accusations from Cecilia's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan). She has a crush on Robbie, too, and after reading a private letter he sent to Cecilia, and then witnessing the first expression of their mutual love but mistaking it for mistreatment, her resentment grows until it leads to her telling the lie that will send Robbie away. Soon World War II breaks out; Robbie enlists and is posted to France, Cecilia is a nurse in London, and Briony, now age 18 and aware of what she has done, tries to atone for her actions--but none of them will be able to get back what they have lost. Knightley and McAvoy are perfectly cast as the young star crossed lovers, and the young Ronan is particularly impressive, but it's clear that the real star of this film is the director. Wright allows Atonement to revel in every moment of its story and each scene is compelling in its own way, but that now famous extended shot with Robbie on the beach at Dunkirk--filmed in one take and sure to be considered one of the great long tracking shots in film history--is the most memorable moment in this remarkable film. Atonement is an excellent example of what can happen when a great book meets great filmmaking. This is one that is not to be missed. --Daniel Vancini Stills from Atonement (click for larger image).
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Very Poor Storytelling:
In full disclosure mode... I am one of four of us that saw this movie that did not like it. I won't rehash the storyline. There are many, many reviews that do that. I will simply point out the big problem areas for me:.... Period pieces are tough. They run the risk of dragging a storyline down. Forty-two minutes into the movie I was about to lose my mind from sheer boredom. The pace of the movie was logged down by an inept unfolding of a period piece. Flashback sequences are tricky. Do it wrong... more info
bad bad bad:
its a disgusting movie.. i kept waiting to find something interesting in the movie but NO it just got worse. very boring and a total waste of time.
Beautifully sad:
Beautifully shot, Atonement begins by introducing us to the wealthy Tallis family, ensconced in an impressive estate in England during the late 1930s. Briony (played as a young girl by Saoirse Ronan), the youngest member of the family at 13, is a budding writer, concocting plays and other works to be presented at family gatherings. We also meet Cecilia Tallis (played with heartbreak by Kiera Knightley), Briony's gorgeous older sister. During the early course of the film, Cecilia learns that Robbie (James... more info
Tragic Lovestory (B+ Grade):
Atonement is such a beautifully shot movie. Every scene was filmed perfectly and Keira Knightley must be one of the most beautiful actresses in the past decade to act on screen. (Even though someone should make her eat a hamburger or two because she is very skinny) I also read the book by Ian McEwan and I must say the interpretation to screen was very well done. This is a very tragic love story because of what someone thinks they see and their actions that set into motion events that will destroy three... more info
