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Atonement

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Atonement (2007)

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83 %
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Reviews Counted: 195

Fresh: 162

Rotten:33

Average Rating: 7.3/10

Consensus: Atonement features strong performances, brilliant cinematography, and a unique score. Featuring deft performances from James MacAvoy and Keira Knightley, it's a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: British, , Romance, Young Love, Period Piece, Theatrical Release, Crime, Family Crises, Based On A Novel

US Box Office: $50,830,581

Synopsis: On a sultry summer day in 1935, an upper-class British family prepares for a dinner party at their country estate. The players: Briony Tallis (newcomer Saoirse Ronan), a precocious preteen writer;... On a sultry summer day in 1935, an upper-class British family prepares for a dinner party at their country estate. The players: Briony Tallis (newcomer Saoirse Ronan), a precocious preteen writer; her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley), Cambridge graduate and femme fatale; Robbie Turner (James McEvoy), the housekeeper's mensch-y son, who carries a torch for Cecilia; and various visitors and family members. A series of misperceptions, fueled by the summer heat and Briony's childish hurts and fevered imagination, lead to a dramatic false accusation that lands Robbie in jail. We meet all three characters five years later in the thick of World War II, as foot soldier Robbie prepares for the Dunkirk evacuation and the two estranged sisters train as nurses in London. Director Joe Wright (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) deserves high praise for translating Ian McEwan's highly internalized, multilayered tale of guilt, redemption, and the power and limits of the artistic imagination, into a sumptuous visual feast that not only conveys the intricate plot points of the novel, but dives headfirst into the emotional subtleties that make the story so wrenching. Whether any of the characters' actions are ultimately atoned for by the end of the film is a matter of perception, but Wright's sympathetic eye ensures that every player gets a fair trial. The young director favors long, lingering close-ups that trace every flicker of feeling--Ronan's luminous blue eyes clouding over with righteous gravity; the tremors of hurt and anger and love in McEvoy's sensitive face; the defiant jut of Knightley's jaw as it melts into tender affection. The honey-drizzled look of the first two thirds of the film contrasts achingly with the tension and seriousness of the action unfolding (and the grim intensity of the wartime sections), and the scenes on the beach at Dunkirk include some of the most masterly camera work of any recent film. ATONEMENT is a powerful story, retold in a way that even diehard fans of the book will appreciate. [More]

Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan

Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn

Director: Joe Wright

Director: Joe Wright
Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster
Composer: Dario Marianelli
Studio: Focus Features

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Reviews for Atonement

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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This is one fine film and I found it even more moving than the book.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
02/27/08
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Somehow the intensity of McEwan's voice hasn't survived and once we move beyond the magic of that lost summer's day, the film becomes a strangely cool and cerebral experience.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
12/21/07
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The story that begins so frivolously, in elegant surroundings and shimmering long gowns comes to its conclusion with a piercing twist to the heart.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
12/13/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Players outshine the script

Full Review Source: JWR | comment Comment
06/28/09
S. James Wegg
JWR
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
02/27/09
Chris Bumbray
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
10/18/08
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/18/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
10/18/08
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
10/18/08
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

Atonement is a film out of balance, nimble enough in its first half but oddly scattered and ungainly once it leaves the grounds of the Tallis estate.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
09/22/08
Christopher Orr
New Republic

As beautiful as it is thought-provoking and soulful.

Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | comment Comment
09/02/08
Heather Huntington
ReelzChannel.com

not a Jane Austin story, but it could be, if Jane Austin hardened up her subject matter a bit

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
08/17/08
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Not a bad picture by any means, just way too fussy. Ladies will love it.

Full Review Source: Mansized | comment Comment
05/25/08
Chris Laverty
Mansized

Few films this year were as magnificent looking and few as misunderstood.

Full Review Source: Film Experience | comment Comment
05/15/08
Nathaniel Rogers
Film Experience

[U]ltimately, the movie amounts to rolling lawns, lovely costumes, and characters that simply fail to resonate.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

Director Joe Wright is quickly establishing himself as a powerhouse adapter of period romance tomes.

Full Review Source: Peterborough This Week | comment Comment
04/15/08
Mike Sage
Peterborough This Week

At some points Wright appears to be simply showing off the dexterity of his visual ambitions to the detriment of the story's emotional core.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
03/25/08
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

the film actually transcends the novel at times, due in no small part to Seamus McGarvey's fluid camera work.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
03/17/08
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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