Atonement
Cast: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave, Romola Garai
Dir: Joe Wright
Rating: 4.5/5
It's 1935 and the hottest day of the summer. Thirteen year old Briony Tallis, an aspiring writer with a wild imagination, is fascinated by the behaviour of the adults around her, despite not understanding what they are doing.
She witnesses two strange encounters between her older sister Cecilia and Robbie, a family friend and son of the cook.
She believes, after reading a letter from Robbie to Cecilia, that Robbie is a dangerous, sex crazed individual. When she walks in on Robbie and Cecilia making love in the library, which she believes to be an attack on her sister, her suspicions about Robbie are confirmed.
Later that night their cousin Lola is raped in the grounds of their house and Briony accuses Robbie of the crime.The three main character's lives pivot on this one event: Robbie is sent to prison before going to fight for his country in the Second World War, Cecilia leaves her family behind and becomes a nurse in blitz London, and Briony spends her whole life attempting to atone for her mistake.
There was a time when British movies only consisted of two things: Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis. But now with Joe Wright, Working Titles new golden boy, all that is about to change.
This is really one of those must see movies as everything about it is quite simply superb.
It's difficult to believe that this is only Wright's second feature length film as his choice of shot, use of costume, attention to the period, and the performance he commands from his cast suggests that he is a veteran movie-maker.
Wright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton have stuck closely to Ian McEwan's much loved novel producing a very literary and faithful account of the story.
It is part love story, part war epic as Wright has produced a complex and devastating story which combines the literary qualities of the novel with the highly polished acting and production values.
While the whole cast is superb with many important roles falling on young shoulders, in particular Saoirse Ronan as thirteen year old Briony, the film belongs to Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
Knightley finally makes her claim as a serious grown up actress shaking off her young girl roles, her Pirates tag and silencing her critics in just one stroke. She delivers a controlled performance as the emotionally repressed Cecilia, who shows her emotion only once in the library scene with Robbie.
The role of Robbie Turner is a distant cry from Shameless for the young Scot James McAvoy who is truely becoming one of this country's great leading men.
Their scenes together are some of the most powerful and sexually potent of the whole film, producing one of the most erotic love scenes in recent cinema while remaining tasteful.
As well as the acting the cinematography is outstanding in particular the harrowing scenes at Dunkirk. Wright's long tracking shot packing a great punch of pain and suffering on the beaches, more so than Spielberg's attempt in Saving Private Ryan.
This is a classy film excellent performances, brathtaking cinematography accompanied by a beautiful score all the while staying true to the novel. Joe Wright cements himself as one of the UK's leading filmmakers and Atonement is the first contender for Best Picture at next year's Oscars.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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