Atonement
By MovieCritic on 12-11-2007
A movie about a book about a writer is an obvious choice for Idealists. However, this adaptation of Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel offers more than artsy-ness or navel-gazing. The plot is one that may pull in many Guardians; it depicts a case of the deadly sin of envy allowed to metastasize until it is fatal. Set right before World War II, the film depicts a wealthy young English girl ("Briony" is played at age 13 by Saoirse Ronan, in her twenties by Romola Garai, and in her 70s by the fabulous Vanessa Redgrave) who, having a crush on her sister's lover, falsely identifies him as the perpetrator of a rape. James McAvoy
("Robbie") and Keira Kneightly ("Cecilia") portray the young couple. Ultimately her lie destroys all three of their lives. Although the Cooperative temperaments may be most enthralled by the story, this drama should appeal to some Artisans and Rationals, too.
Enjoy luscious shots of the English country estate and sublime scenes of retreating soldiers awaiting evacuation from Dunkirk. Joe Wright's direction is lyrical but clean, and it successfully employs two risky and ambitious techniques. On several occasions, one character is led into a pivotal encounter with others -- a meeting that is certain to cause a complication of the story, and then the events that lead up to the meeting are replayed from another character's perspective. Second, there are many instances of "rewinds" to an earlier point in the narrative and a digging into a scene in the "past" time frame.
Verdict: An intriguing drama with moral force in a beautiful package, visually and aurally.
I admire Joe Wright and Keira Knightley very much, so I thought I would enjoy this movie. Went there. Saw it. Got disappointed. Nothing to do with the story itself, I mean, it's very good, I LIKED IT! However, I sort of expected something else from the filmmaking, especially from the direction. I really liked some takes, but there was this sense of surrealism (even irrealism) in some others that didn't let me appreciate the photography better. ___________________________ The cast is great, though. Keira is simply majestic, and it was interesting to see James McAvoy in this role (especially without a shirt -the kid has certainly gained a few pounds since his last film). I really liked Miss Ronan's performance as well, very fitting. _____________________________ All in all, a good movie, if you like the type.