Atonement
2007 Directed by Joe Wright
Synopsis
Torn apart by betrayal. Separated by war. Bound by love.
Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. Based on the British romance novel by Ian McEwan.
Cast
Popular reviews
More-
Film #24 of The December Project
Atonement used to make me extremely angry. I thought the ending was a manipulative gimmick, designed to make everyone feel like shit and lend a great importance to the entire story. I bad-mouthed it to everyone who hadn't seen it and argued for hours against fans. It took me a long time to rewatch it, and ever since then, it has become one of my favorite films.
Briony Talis is a 13-year old girl who is an aspiring writer and thinks she can talk and behave like an adult. When she witnesses a private moment between her older sister and their mutual childhood friend, it sets off a series of unfortunate misunderstandings. When those…
-
Film #1 in the Caker Baker's Adapted April
First off, thanks to ishark for indirectly recommending this through Phips's April project. I doubt I'd have ever gotten around to seeing it otherwise, because, honestly, this didn't seem like my kind of movie (which it isn't.) But I have to say, it was a beautiful, meditative drama that was indeed very compelling, as well as thoughtful. In fact, considering that superficially it is a romance, it's not all that romantic. At its core, Atonement is far more carefully observant than it is extravagant, more calm than it is brash: it thinks with its head over its heart (to ruin this review with such an awful cliché.) Though it may not seem…
-
One of my all-time favourite war-time romantic dramas. This film has such class! Keira Knightley and James McAvoy make brilliant leads and have such a lovely chemistry on screen together. The film also sees great performances by Saoirse Ronan and Juno Temple, who were largely unknown at the point of this film's release but who are now both doing exceedingly well. And let's not forget Benedict Cumberbatch's creepy presence. When first watching this I had no idea that it was him, and it's only recently that I've made the connection, so kudos to him for taking on such a role. As well as these strong performances, the film has constantly beautiful cinematography, a haunting but brilliant score, and one of…
-
Fuck off Nicholas Sparks, this one is one of the best romance movies of the century. A beautiful cinematography, splendid acting and a complex story. And I love Keira Knightley.
What is this film about? Is it a love story? No. It's a story about human nature. Since we're teens we believe we are already mature enough to do whatever we want. We don't think enough about the consequences. I am 14 years old and I never cease to amaze myself with my own stupidity.
This film is beautifully mounted, and proves once again Joe Wright has an eye for movies set in another period (see Pride and Prejudice). The tracking shot at the beach is now one of my…
-
I can't believe I put off seeing this film for so long. Many labeled it merely Oscar-bait in the year of its release, but it absolutely earned the nominations it got. Joe Wright made a wonderful film about huge ripples created by tiny deeds and incurable regret.
-
This movie was much, much better than I expected it to be. I'm not always a big fan of Keira Knightley but I totally dig James McAvoy. The movie is an adaptation as a 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. It begins with a sister’s jealousy and goes from there. A young man has to choose life in prison or going to war. Terribly sad things happen to all of the characters. The acting is top notch. A simple twist at the end ties the story up nicely. It has a very moving score and great images that will stay with you long after you’ve seen it. This movie is easily recommended.
Recent reviews
More-
Es una pelicula decente no pretende mas de lo que es la segunda donde se aprecia el lado humano de esta. Y un final que no me esperaba.
-
My god this film bored the crap out of me, it was just slow and dull. The acting was superb though, you can't fault the cast.
-
Fuck off Nicholas Sparks, this one is one of the best romance movies of the century. A beautiful cinematography, splendid acting and a complex story. And I love Keira Knightley.
What is this film about? Is it a love story? No. It's a story about human nature. Since we're teens we believe we are already mature enough to do whatever we want. We don't think enough about the consequences. I am 14 years old and I never cease to amaze myself with my own stupidity.
This film is beautifully mounted, and proves once again Joe Wright has an eye for movies set in another period (see Pride and Prejudice). The tracking shot at the beach is now one of my…
-
I liked this a lot, it has a lot of unusual structures, like using the interview in the future as the reveal, but not a bookend, but I heard the interview where he said initially it was a bookend, and they decided to change it later on. I really liked the initial two sequences which are told from two different povs, and they work great, the soundtrack using the typing machine was great as well. It was weird that the movie sort of felt segmented since you followed two different leads, and they had a conflict between them, yet you sort of related to both, it was weird, but it worked really well.
-
Anonement is incredible. No, I'll go further - Atonement is a cinematic achievement. Never before have I seen a book I've actually read so vividly projected onto the big screen. The screenplay is absolutely spot on, considering its limitations. In the book, there are many scenes of internal dialogue that Robbie and Briony face, and these are presented on screen faithfully but at the same time are different. The visual component of this film is incredibly important, capturing Ian McEwan's rather illustrious prose onto the screen. Every shot is flawless - composed with the nothing but simply incredible score by Dario Marianelli - who absolutely deserved the Oscar for it.
Atonement is set up into three main acts with a… -
Having re-watched this, I understand why I disliked it the first time but appreciate it on a cinematic level. It is a good film with an extraordinary story. The conclusion, however, fails to appeal to me.
-
Sublime historia de amor, definitivamente una de mis películas favoritas.
-
I guess I didn't remember as much as I thought...
Atonement is a fine film, led by a very fine performance from James McAvoy, with a very creepy and pervy Benedict Cumberbatch a close second. Knightley is alright, but has never been a favourite.
The first time I watched it I couldn't see past my anger for little Briony (Saoirse Ronan shows glimpses of her talent even at a very young age). She's still a little brat who thinks she knows it all, but her atonement offers up some redemption. Ideally I'd like to see a bit more about the war, and a lot more of Cumberbatch, but they're probably staying within the confines of McEwan's book. Fair enough.
The ending worked well, and was heartbreaking, but I wish they'd rolled credits before the final scene on the beach. -
This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.