Atonement

A British crowd-pleaser with American production value, this interesting film deserved a better director. It does a fine job on a technical level, and has some flourishes of directorial wit, but they're contrived and random. All of it just doesn't sum up to an artistic whole, or some kind of identity or world view that isn't the original book author's.

A tad too long....but Keira Knightely and James McAvoy are sexy as hell. God I love awkward, repressed British sexuality!

Love James McAvoy but it slightly irritates me that Keria Knightley is again playing a posh, rich girl who doesnt get her way with one facial expression throughout!

Despite its vulgar underpinnings, this film is stunningly beautiful, and powerful. The scene of Dunkirk is the most visually moving piece of moviemaking and cinematography I have ever seen.

Hated the book. Movie slightly better.

terrible acting, poor script and repetative music

In a word, brilliant. This movie is a feast for the eyes, and it's storyline is excellent. Very good movie.

The first half of the movie dragged and was unimpressive. However, the film came around in the second half with performances that really pulled at the heart.

This movie made me angry. That's not atonement, it's continuing to be a self-centered asshole. Life's to short to watch it again to work out if this score is reasonable.

Very well put together, but it seemed a little off balance due to the conversion between book and movie

Beautiful cinematography and great cast. I’m a sucker for anything that parallels my life. Robbie resembles a man I have loved like no other. 01:03:20 A frog, in the night, licks its lips. “The story can resume…The one I had been planning…I can become again the man who once…with the clarity of passion, made love to you…The story can resume. I will return, find you, love you, marry you. And live without shame.” Without hope, what do we have? I had hoped to be each other’s last

This is one of those surreal films that just has such an engrossing vibe that it sticks with you for a long time. I watched this back in high school after we read the book, and in all honesty, I preferred the film's ending to the book. The soundtrack is also amazing, and props to Saoirse Ronan for being such a captivating young Briony.

This book is so phenomenal that even though the film is a bit flat, the sheer power of the story makes it worth watching. Disturbing, intense, a story of class struggle and betrayal in WW2 Britain. Great acting all around. Very sad.

The best film of 2007. Atonement is breath taking and heart breaking.

I'm torn rating this; I'd give the first half a much higher rating than the second (probably 92 / 70). Hence the happy middle ground.

Very different kind of way to film a movie. Interesting, but I would not watch it again. Worth watching once.

A brilliant and faithful adaptation of one of my favourite books. I don't usually like Keira Knightley, but she's very good in this.

Remarkable movie. The first half quite boring - it was hard to keep the attention and not go away. The second half was touching. I don't like the explenation at the end - just talking old woman - could have been done differently.

Hits hard. Full of realism and unpredictability. I love that.

for the love of "Dunkirk scene"

could not even watch it to the end.. these characters, too self conscious for me, this movie just did not kling as real to me.

Yuck. Little girl has crush on guy, tells lie about him, he gets sent off to war to avoid jail time. He dies, and the love of his life suffers, while the little lying girl makes megabucks off a bestselling novel about the story, which she alters to give it a happy ending. I'm not going to apologize for the spoiler, because nobody should bother watching this movie.

tragic love story that i sympathize.

Really disliked the way the story was told, as if to manipulate us. I know that what story telling is - but the listener/watcher is not supposed to notice. In this case it was obvious we were being played with. Underneath it all there is a decent story. But Knightly the speed-mumbler doesn't really help things, and although I do like McAvoy, he on his own, is not enough to save this. Good performance by up and coming Irish actress Saoirse Ronan.

This slightly over-rated film is beautifully shot through the combined efforts of director Joe Wright and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey. However, the story (adapted by Christopher Hampton from Ian McEwan's novel) only gets a passing grade from me. The first half is very enjoyable but, the second half is a bit of a let-down. It's a good film. I just wanted it to be better.

For me it's the movie that make me sure that Keira Knightley is an exelente actrice, and that Joe Wright is an exelent director.

Well-shot, very graphic but not overly so. Just enough to be realistic, honestly. The movie feels aimless at times. It all gets at a common theme and touches several character arcs, but there's a lot that could have been cut from the movie and I wouldn't have missed it. The soldier's death with Briony is the best scene in the movie. To borrow from another reviewer, the first act really is the masterful piece of this movie, and the rest leaves something to be desired. The soundtrack though? 5/5

I read the book first and thought it to be brilliant- the film however not so much. Knightly is miscast as Cecelia Tallis and her perfomance is abrupt and hard. It must be said however that Juno Temple played the role of Lola perfectly. It's the longshot of the beach at Dunkirk and the tender exchange between Turner and Nettle (James McAvoy, Daniel Mays) that saves the rating from being any lower.

I'm reviewing this after a second viewing....the first viewing left me a little confused, so 6 months later....... This is a truly stunning movie....with a story so desperately sad. Great photography, ("dunkirk" slightly overindulgent but beautifully done). All leads were good....(even Brenda Blethyn managing to restrain herself). Highly recommend........

80

Yawn