Atonement

December. 07,2007      R
Rating:
7.8
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Trailer Synopsis Cast

As a 13-year-old, fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.

James McAvoy as  Robbie Turner
Keira Knightley as  Cecilia Tallis
Saoirse Ronan as  Briony Tallis (Age 13)
Romola Garai as  Briony Tallis (Age 18)
Vanessa Redgrave as  Briony Tallis (Age 77)
Brenda Blethyn as  Grace Turner
Juno Temple as  Lola Quincey
Benedict Cumberbatch as  Paul Marshall
Harriet Walter as  Emily Tallis
Alfie Allen as  Danny Hardman

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Reviews

Moustroll
2007/12/07

Good movie but grossly overrated

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Matialth
2007/12/08

Good concept, poorly executed.

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DipitySkillful
2007/12/09

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

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Brenda
2007/12/10

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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Thomas Drufke
2007/12/11

Sometimes there are films that present a story in such a way that it makes you rethink the entire film after the first watch. Not that I didn't know what to expect with Atonement, considering I did read the synopsis before viewing, but there's something so incredibly impactful about the way Joe Wright adapts the acclaimed novel. You never exactly know the final direction until the last moments of pure devastation. And that's what I call an affective film.It's not just Wright's direction however, as there's absolutely magnetic performances to dive deep into including one from the young Saoirse Ronan. Ronan plays Briony Tallis, who blames a serious crime on her sister's boyfriend because of her clouded judgement. It's an unfortunate tale of a person bringing their previous beliefs of a person into a judgement call that is far beyond their understanding, especially for someone who is only 13 years old. The other notable thing about Atonement is the original score. The way Dario Marianelli factors in a typewriter to his already beautiful piano score is meticulously unique. It really adds an extra element to a deep film in its own right. It's also gorgeous film to look at, especially the long shots of the Dunkirk beach and the costume/production design throughout. And really, the film is a gorgeous tragedy, something that in order to be effective, has to be directed with extreme care and an original touch. Atonement is all of these things and more.8.8/10

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The Movie Diorama
2007/12/12

Sprawling across six decades, it chronicles a crime and the unfortunate consequences that follow. I have yet to see all of Joe Wright's filmography at the time of this review, but this is easily his most competent. Having not read the source material, I've heard that the book's structure makes it rather difficult to adapt. Seemingly Wright made it look easy. Embedding character perspectives, integrating flashbacks and utilising a clear three act structure. The journey we are taken on seems small in scale but draws in on the vast historical events of WWII to make an epic romance. It portrays how a child's vivid imagination and innocence of youth can cause damage to others in years to come. A false accusation that splits young love apart. There's something so ominous and vindictive about such a feeble mistake, that it packs one heck of a punch to the heart. The characters portrayed are all played out incredibly well and become fully developed by the heartbreaking end, which I'm sure will depress you all. It's a resonating tale, but one not without shock value. Some career best performances from Knightley, McAvoy and Ronan. They all captured the elegance and lavish lifestyle of the first act to then succumb to the emotional devastation of acts two and three. Wright's bold direction is what truly captivates, particularly the infamous one take scene of Dunkirk's evacuation. The props, the extras, the camera placement...it all came together to create an aria of desolation. It was sublime. The sound editing was notably fantastic also, especially the cacophony of typewriting sounds. Marianelli's score was beautifully haunting and deserved all the recognition it got. I do find the acts to be incredibly different and jarring, which consequently means I have to take a few minutes to adapt to the adjusted tempo of the narrative. Also, the gorgeous cinematography slowly fades as the running time gradually concludes. However, this is a solid piece of cinema that showcases excellent talent on and off screen.

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jacobjames-10440
2007/12/13

This movie is nonsensical and ludicrous for most of the story. I could not relate to the characters at all and found myself feeling the main characters got exactly as they deserved. There were several scenes where the director made poor choices which detracted from and confused the story. The writing was pretty pathetic as well as the story progression was circuitous and uninteresting. The movie didn't flow or grow in depth, but just degraded into inanity. Don't waste your time with this one. It is overrated and awful.

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Asif Khan (asifahsankhan)
2007/12/14

You know the book. If you use public transport, you'll recognise it as the one everyone was reading circa 2004. There was that Booker Prize shortlisting, the reams of laudatory articles about its author, Ian McEwan. And then arrived the inevitable film adaptation, which should by rights be as stilted and anaemic an affair as most big-screen versions of 'serious' fiction, a (Merchant) ivory tower of self-important emoting from RSC heavyweights. Except that this quality-drenched effort is as stilted as a belly-dancer.The movie's opening act is like a breathless celebration of pure heedless joy, a demonstration of the theory that the pinnacle of human happiness was reached by life in an English country house between the wars. Of course that was more true of those upstairs than downstairs. We meet Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley), the bold, older daughter of an old family, and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), their housekeeper's promising son, who is an Oxford graduate, thanks to the generosity of Cecilia's father. Despite their difference in social class, they are powerfully attracted to each other, and that leads to a charged erotic episode next to a fountain on the house lawn.There's a careful contrast between the gilded youth of Cecilia and friends, literally glowing in Seamus McGarvey's burnished cinematography, Robbie's earthier colours and Briony's cold little face, pinched with self-importance, all setting up a conflict to come.But it's the tone that sets this apart from more traditional, ever-so-slightly-fusty inter-War dramas. Mature actors barely get a look in - near-cameos from Brenda Blethyn, Gina McKee and Vanessa Redgrave aside, no-one over the age of 30 even registers. Magical-realist underwater scenes make the stately home seem an idyll, but the oppressive heat that radiates from the screen hints at tension, sexual and otherwise, bubbling under the surface. The most erotic sex scene in years - this despite the fact that both parties remain almost fully dressed - can't ease the growing dread. Even aside from the World War glowering on the horizon, it's clear that something is about to go horribly wrong.To say much more about the details, however, would be to risk unbalancing a plot as delicately calibrated as clockwork. If you've read the book, you know what's coming. If you haven't, count yourself lucky, and watch with your heart in your mouth as events build to a climax barely halfway through.

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