Review of Atonement (1971) by Stuart B — 23 Sep 2011

While I'd heard decent things about the movie, I'd never really found the opportunity nor the inclination to watch this. However, after recently watching Wright's follow up, Hanna, I was intrigued to see how he would tackle a different genre.

And for the most part it was actually quite good, with especially good performances from the cast (even Knightley who I generally don't think is very good for much other than perfecting the pout) in a involving romance story corrupted by lies and an active imagination.

Unfortunately the film is very unbalanced, with the brisk, captivating atmosphere of the opening act in the Tallis estate completely ruined by a bulky, visual epic of it's second act which loses much of it's emotional core at the expense of showing off Wright's ability with a camera.

This is a shame, as the opening is a vividly imaginative concept with a sparkling performance from Saorise Ronan as a young girl, obsessed with crafting imaginative stories, seeing too much into a romantic relationship involving her sister.

Creatively directed and editied, the story is very well developed and draws you into the lives of it's characters. Which makes it all the more jarring when the action loses its momentum when the plot moves away from the estate.

The characters you have invested yourself in lose focus and instead we are left with, although well shot, rather a lot of emptiness and despite a surprising twist ending, ultimately it just can't compete with the first half.

Nevertheless, despite it's unevenness it is still certainly a movie worth watching, if only for it's stunning opening.