Atonement Reviews

I need to start this off by saying I'm a fan of both Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. If anyone else had been given those roles, I likely wouldn't have even watched. And to be honest, I'm glad I did, but I don't think it's any great masterwork, either. Overall, it has two serious flaws, and that makes it a less than memorable story.

The setting has been done many times, though the story is something slightly different from the norm. Especially the fact that it's an English telling of World War II, rather than an American one.

The flaws are simple, basic storytelling flaws, unfortunately.
The first is that the flow is erratic and choppy. Sometimes jumping forward in huge jumps, other times falling back in time to see a scene from another angle. I understand why it was done, but I don't think the overall effect was done well, and it left the story hard to follow.
The other is that we have two characters we are supposed to feel empathy for, but neither stands out as horribly empathetic. Not that they don't deserve our empathy, but that we have nothing to make us care about in the first place. I think this can be attributed to the choice of storyteller. The little girl chosen to tell the story is completely and totally unsympathetic, and impossible to empathize with as a character. And because she does not seem to care about her characters, and about those around her, neither can we.

James McAvoy did a good job with what he was given, and is the most sympathetic character in the story, but it almost feels a relief when his part of the story ends, because you can see it coming a mile away.
Keira Knightley's character is completely lackluster in most ways, and her reasoning for doing anything is never fully explained. A waste of a great actress on a bad role.
As I have said before, the "main" character of the piece--the young sister Briony seems to have no empathy in her, and the story piece about her having a crush on James's character seems tacked on and entirely unnecessary. I would have liked to either see that bit played up, or excised entirely.

The best bit of this film? The sound of typing that begins the story. It tells you from the get go: "This is all just a story you are about to see." Because it is. The finale seems to negate what little the story has done, and leaves you staring at the screen wondering why you bothered to watch at all.

An interesting period piece, but it will never be a classic.

Atonement é um filme que nos fala da importância da redenção, do fazer o que é certo e justo na hora certa, ou do arrependimento que pode durar uma vida decorrente do não cumprimento das ações corretas.
É um filme completíssimo, riquíssimo em ações, imagens, palavras e com um enquadramento histórico muito bem conseguido e enriquecedor.



Esta história começa no decorrer da década de 30 e é brilhantemente levado à atualidade na última cena do filme, dando uma noção de continuidade, de evolução na história.

As memórias nunca se apagam...

The novel is good, the story etc, but this movie is extremely slow and boring to watch. Too many unnecessary scenes, long takes, very boring and slow.

Anyway, some people enjoy it, but I couldn't watch it again.

"So in the book, I wanted to give Robbie and Cecilia what they lost out on in life. I'd like to think this isn't weakness or... evasion... but a final act of kindness. I gave them their happiness."

It is indeed an extremely rare event that a masterpiece like Atonement comes along. After a tedious wave of mediocre films and straightforward blockbusters throughout the year, Atonement is an extremely good and effective war drama that ended up being one of the finest films of 2007.

I had wanted to see this production because of the critical acclaim it received and its successful trip to the Golden Globes (during which it walked away with Best Motion Picture for Drama; beating other films like No Country for Old Men that were heavily favoured). After seeing the trailer only minor interest was sparked in my mind. On a recommendation I approached this film, and ended up leaving the cinema completely speechless.

It's an unfortunate fact that films of this stature are few and far between. In the course of a year only a very limited amount of films can be found of such quality in the case of contemporary cinema.

Like many other people have stated, it is a fact that the plot cannot be revealed in any depth. The brilliance of the movie is the audience's inability to predict what is going to happen next. If you ruin one part then the impact of the movie will be slightly lessoned. The story is gradually built up throughout the film's running time. With each new scene the story continues to unfold and expand.

The first half of the movie is a compelling drama set within the confines of a mansion. Cecilia Tallis (Knightley) lives with her family and is in love with a man named Robbie (McAvoy). Cecilia's snobby, jealous little sister Briony (Ronan) is unable to completely understand the concept of love and hence cannot precisely comprehend the sneaky relationship that Robbie and Cecilia share. The second half of the movie unfolds because of a significant event that happens towards the end of its preceding half when a man is wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit. Because of a lie one of the characters told, the lives of several people are irrevocably altered. The film is then a powerful war drama set during World War II that follows a host of different characters living their lives after the tragedy that previous transpired.

Atonement is a breathtaking, emotional tale that asks patience from its audience. At first the film is slow-paced but captivating. The drama that occurs throughout the movie grasps your attention. If you appreciate fine filmmaking in lieu of blockbuster rubbish then you will find it impossible to feel bored.

The film's brilliance can also be attributed to its realistic atmosphere that is especially well established by the performances. We have never seen Keira Knightley in a role like this before. I usually find her performances cardboard and lacking any emotional depth. She briskly breaks out of her acting confines; instead becoming both realistic and breathtaking. It's impossible to fault her portrayal. James McAvoy is remarkable as well. There are a number of scenes when no words can describe how powerful his depiction is. I must also mention young Saoirse Ronan. She wouldn't have been any older than 12 or 13 when the cameras rolled. It's rare to compliment an actress so young whose career has barely even started. Ronan is exceptional!

The direction by Joe Wright was also extraordinary and brings the script to life with excellent results. I felt that the storytelling was unique and memorable; and I will admit being confused by the frequent change of setting. Like the rest of the filmmaking aspects, this is extremely unique. The film's pacing varies; however for the most part the acting is so focused that the film doesn't feel so long.

When the credits rolled I sat speechless; entirely satisfied with the film I had just exhibited. The tragic part was that those around me did not seem to share my sentiments because of its uniqueness. I'm not going to lie to you: the film is not for those who seek entertaining blockbusters. It's strictly for those who look past the entertainment value and examine it for what it is: an exquisite masterpiece. Atonement is beautiful, memorable, poignant, emotional and unique. It's a film that is well told with an inspiring script adapted from the novel by Ian McEwan.

The story is a romantic emotional one, taking place during the 1930s.

The film director has played the emotional card rather well, and I must say the sets, the decors and costumes are marvelous.

The actors were well cast, and is especially obvious through Briony.

I say "almost perfect" because Keira Knightley just doesn't appear to act properly for the time period. All other actors are quite decent, and seem well directed. But Keira...

Superb cinematography. The images are quite stunning.

Clearly one of the best of 2007.

Atonement is sensitive emotional.
it is about a lie that wreaks havoc on several lives and about the lier's penance. it is also about love, war, class, imagination and what not.
amazing, poignant.

I broke my 10-year stint of not going to the movies with this film. I am glad I did. The movie was beautiful, and it really affected me--I've been thinking about it for days. It's obvious from the title that it is about atonement, but it is also a romance. There is also much more to it than that, but I don't want to say what; it would give away the whole secret of the movie. I think this movie is a definite must-see.

Beautiful, memorable, unique, emotional and.. a masterpiece. I have never read the book so I can't compare it to the novel, I think that anyone who has read it would be satisfied with this. It's definitely one of the best movies of 2007, If it doesn't at least get nominated for an Oscar then there's something seriously wrong.

It was nice for Joe Wright and Keira Knightey to get back together in this film after 'Pride and Prejudice'. He is an amazing director and teamed together with some great actors it can't go wrong. I won't go into the plot in depth, it's hard to describe in words it's unique story, it's certainly like no other movie I have seen before. A series of events occur all because of an incident that happens at the beginning of the movie, when a young girl wrongly accuses a man of rape. He is sent off to war and all he can think of is a woman who he fell in love with the night he was taken away. The two have a slightly unusual relationship by sending letters with the hope of one day finally settling and having the rest of their lives together. Atonement is a really emotional film, and one scene in Dunkirk shows how tragic and full of chaos the war really was. That was a breathtaking scene, I was in awe of the directing and how so many things were happening at once. The setting of that scene was eerie and James McAvoy's performance showed the emotions anyone would be feeling at that time.

Keira Knightley was brilliant in this film, I haven't seen her in any other films like this so it was strange to see her in this role. In my opinion this is her best performance. James McAvoy, who I am not so familiar with also showed his amazing acting and made the movie a lot more emotional and memorable. Saoirse Ronan, who played the young Briony was brilliant for such a young age. Her character had a very important part in the story and she cave a great performance to create the atmosphere needed at the beginning of the film.

Overall this is a must see movie, a true drama film that should hold your attention from the opening credits until the very end.