Atonement

One subconsciously expects a dose of kitsch and one gets it. But if he is not a cynic, he is sure to be swept away by all the splendor of the images and the story. Joe Wright has gotten rid of his only flaw - character confusion - and delivers a conscious and distinguished spectacle that has so much heart that the viewer's emotions at times can't keep up. The mixture of laughter and sadness creates one of the most romantic experiences in modern cinema. I’d also like to point out that Keira's sweet face has finally grown into a character actress and Joe Wright is the current No. 1 talent int he UK - even Brian De Palma would have admired him for that fantastic steady-cam on the beach. (23/01/2008)

It's all point-of-view shots, things are made subjective, and it has a fragmented narrative, hypothesis, flashbacks, and flash-forwards (maybe even front-flashes, but I'm not going to segment that for you)... But hell with all that. When in the end it's all washed away by the perfection of Vanessa Redgrave's performance, I even end up believing it's 1935 given Keira Knightley’s performance. (05/02/2012)

Romantic films are certainly not the kind I look for, but I have nothing about having an occasional look at genres that are not my favourite and today I decided to watch the best rated romance of 2007, Atonement. The result is that for most of the runtime I was bored and frustrated, hoping for the end. The direction is brilliant, the film has lots of gorgeous visuals, but it didn’t have much of an effect on me. But then the story jumps to the present and the end shattered me. The tempers suddenly flare and I have to say that I don’t regret putting on this film. 70% (24/08/2008)

Beautiful again; Joe Wright, 2-0 to you. The last act has a seemingly somewhat stilted, disjointed feel (especially with the insertion of Briony's life moments), but the final denouement makes sense and emotionally shreds you, even though the sudden setting in the present day is somewhat distracting. Thank goodness for Joe Wright, who brings a kind of old-world beauty and elegance back to cinema with his way of storytelling, with emotions that send pleasant chills down the spine. I was very surprised by James McAvoy, who has undergone a personality transformation from the unlikeable bum in The Last King of Scotland to a charismatic young man whose every gesture I believed. And Keira Knightley? Despite her slightly anorexic type I have a soft spot for her, she’s improving as an actor from film to film and her face here exudes the refined beauty of a silver screen star of the pre-war era. The main musical motif is still in my head and I don’t want it to leave. (26/12/2007)

It is surprising that at a time when filmmakers sully one quality book after another that for several years now, adaptations of the works of Ian McEwan have been successful, that you very much. Each of the five adaptations of his works so far worked well and three of them very well. And that includes Atonement which, while not being his best, is McEwan’s best known novel. Joe Wright is growing into a big name of contemporary cinema. And if you think that McAvoy is just a pretty boy with a sexy accent, this movie will set you right. You don’t often see so many powerful scenes linked together into one effective whole that works on several levels at once. And the fact that Atonement just happens to rag you through all shades of emotional feelings is just icing on the cake. (01/01/2008)