Review of Atonement (2007) by Ronc. — 22 Jan 2008
The central problem with this film and too many films made over the past 15-20 years is that the editing becomes the most important character. The is one more story told out of time sequence, not because it is a dramatic need of one of the characters (say a character with amnesia who remembers only bits of her past and we take that journey of remembrance with her), but because it is a structural need for the screenwriter to achieve his plot twist at the end.
The writer simply cannot take us on a worthwhile journey starting us at A and ending us at Z, and so flashes us backwards and forwards in time until we're so good and seasick that anything he present in the last 15 minutes of the movie will be a stunner.
The interesting thing is that Atonement would have been a good movie without the manipulation. The direction is spot on and the performances compelling. But because I know I was being led around by the nose by the writer, it kicked up all my authority issues and I just refused to be moved.
This review of Atonement (2007) was written by Ronc. on 22 Jan 2008.
Atonement has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
