Review of Atonement (2007) by Hollyc — 28 Mar 2008

I agree with A.O. Scott's review--almost completely. The beginning starts off fairly well---predictable--but everything is firing perfectly in just about every area --acting, set, direction, DP, etc (maybe dialog isn't perfect).

But holy heck does it take a detour to lost-muddy-mess. I haven't seen this level of navel gazing cinematography since Terrence Malik kept the camera on grass for the first 10 minutes of "The New World".

The ending of course, is suppose to grab you and leave you with the very real feeling of sadness, guilt and atonement---which is very much a part of the novel it's based on---in fact I think Vanessa Redgrave's last 5 minutes on screen was some of the best acting in the film ( Keira sure is pretty though)--however Redgrave and the heart-wrenching reveal can't save the mess in the middle.

I'm a little shocked so many critics praised this film at the level they did.