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Atonement
I'm going to have to make this clear from the outset. THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. I'm shouting because if I don't, I'll have people complaining that they don't agree with me when I tell them that I didn't actually enjoy it that much. Actually, that'll still happen whatever I say, so sod it, I'll just run with it.
Atonement is not what you expect it to be. Its Pride and Prejudice façade (strengthened by the fact that Joe Wright directed that too) belies a rich and worthy film that scores highly in every virtue - there are even a few chuckles. It's guaranteed to pick up gongs at the end of the year but, like most award-winners, it won't light everybody's fire. I enjoyed this film: I think the average moviegoer will enjoy it: - if you like something a little different. Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: - Keira Knightley gets very wet and clingy in an early moment, there's a little exposure to war-time injuries, language is surprisingly coarse in places - the c word even appears in print! Gasp! To enjoy this film you should be: able to watch Vanity Fair without nodding off.
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Atonement is a period piece, a costume drama (which had me pre-bored even before I'd sat down). It's best if you know
nothing about the story, so I'll merely mention that it centres around the courtship between Keira Knightley and
James McAvoy, in his first lead role since hitting the big time as Mr Tumnus in 
So why was I not enthralled then? Well, partly it has to do with the whole period-performance malarkey. As it's set in
the upper-class British 1930s, everyone has peculiar jawlines and enough plumminess to fill a fruit salad, which I
personally find very distracting. As a result, Miss Knightley and Mr McAvoy never
ceased being actors and started being characters - I can't even remember the characters' names now. And, despite several
valiant and largely successful attempts to hold my attention, I still found myself drifting away into what I was going to
write in the review, rather than concentrating on the story - never a good sign. Parts of the middle are a tad slow and
unnecessary - although the five-minute continuous single shot on the Dunkirk beach was very
Atonement has clearly had a lot of love poured into it - every scene has been placed carefully and shot beautifully.
The story is unpredictable and touching and - above all - intelligent. Several scenes are played out twice in quick
succession, to show a different perspective, and it's only after an initial what's-going-on, hasn't-this-already-happened
moment that we twig the cinematic device. It's a brave idea and seemed to work thanks to its introduction early on. In fact,
there are lots of commendable qualities throughout - the ending in particular is superb and unusually satisfying - so
I almost feel guilty not giving it at least 4/5. But I'm not rating how good it is as a movie, I'm rating how much I
enjoyed it - and I was most definitely bored in the middle. So tough titty.
