Atonement (Widescreen Edition)

Boring and Depressing, Liked the twist at the end (2008-11-18) Rating: 3/5
This is a movie about how not to be in life. In fact the supporting character who reeks havoc in the movie, Briony, has got to be one of my least favorite people of all time.

That being said, this is a beautiful looking movie and started out as something I liked. As time goes on it degrades into something dark and depressing; which war often is. It is an interesting look into that era.

I watched this at a girls' movie night and the general consensus was that it was pretty boring. We decided it must be the surprise ending that got it all of the awards, that and the beautiful settings in the beginning of the movie. The ending convinced me that Briony is the most selfish, evil (yet not evil) character ever. That and in general the movie was just depressing.

I am glad I saw it, I would never watch it again.
Hiss!! Boo!! Laughably Overrated & Boring Film (2008-11-16) Rating: 1/5
Wow, if Atonement is the "Best Picture" of 2007, then Hollywood was really scraping the bottom of the barrel for candidates. After hearing about all of the accolades received by "Atonement", my wife and I decided to rent this film and give it a shot. After all, anything voted "Best Picture" has got to be pretty decent. Right? Um, yeah. I guess we were wrong. I have now completely lost all respect and regard for some of these so-called "professional movie critics". Atonement is painfully slow-moving, with dull characters and a complete lack of the dramatic. By the time we reached the mid-way point, this movie had lost me completely and I found myself wishing that it would just end already.

Some people out there would surely accuse me of needing to be spoon-fed nothing but action, violence, and gore. Nonsense. Try watching the movie "Amadeus", which is one of my favorite movies of all time and achieves a wonderfully dramatic and moving storyline without the use of such bells and whistles. Truly a masterpiece of filmmaking and storytelling. None of this is to be found in "Atonement", which is simply 130 minutes of crust. There is a fine line between character/story development, and simply nothing happening outside of boring and pointless dialogue. Atonement falls into the latter of the two categories.

I'm sorry, but adding a WWII theme and dragging the story out to a 2+ hour run time does not simply result in an "epic" film, nor does it put the film into the same category as "Titanic", or even a "Pearl Harbor". Clearly the makers of Atonement were shooting for this type of result (Historic theme + Love = great movie) but this film fails on so many fronts, and is laughably overrated.
Reasonably well done (2008-11-10) Rating: 4/5
Because I really enjoyed the book I have put off seeing the movie for some time, concerned that the movie would only disappoint, as is so often the case with the book-to-movie transition. And now that I've seen the movie I don't think it disappointed, but as is also the often the case in the book-to-movie transition, there was so much great material from the book that just couldn't adapt to the silver screen.

Having said that, there were some great redeeming qualities to the movie. The acting was superb. The scenery of England was beautiful. The re-creations of the scenes of the English military's evacuation from Dunkirk were outstanding. The storyline of the movie was true to the book, accounting for the major scenes that develop the story. The screenplay and the director were certainly successful in developing the circumstances of juvenile misunderstanding that led to heartbreak, misplaced justice, elusive love and passion, and ultimately lost life and a lifetime of regret.

As with the book, this movie does not convey joyous occasions, but rather some hard-learned lessons about life for a young girl that will haunt her forever. Ones for which she will never be able to truly atone, but only pray for forgiveness.
Beautiful But Tragic Love Story (2008-11-04) Rating: 5/5
This is a tragic story, about two beautiful but star crossed lovers. Robby is the maid's son, and Cecilia the daughter of the lord of the manor. Their restrained and unspoken love for each other is played out artistically through gestures, sighs and facial expressions. Once their love is fulfilled it is cut short by the impetuous accusations of Cecilia's teenage sister, Briony. A wonderful musical score featuring original, oscar-winning music as well as classics like Clair de Lune carry you through the sometimes sluggish middle part of the movie. At the end, a touching monologue by the now septagenarian authoress Briony played by Vanessa Redgrave finishes off the film with a touching revelation about the inspiration for her latest novel: Atonement.
An Instant Classic (2008-10-29) Rating: 5/5
The Art of Storytelling: How To Write A Story....Any Story
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

After seeing it a second time, I think that ATONEMENT should have won the Academy Award as Best Picture of 2007. It is a rich, sweeping production; a touching romantic drama that transports you back to a simpler, albeit more dangerous, time and place.

There is also a surprise, absolutely unforgettable ending.

Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel was adapted to the screen by Christopher Hampton and directed by Joe Wright.

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy play the star-crossed lovers whose lives are destroyed by a vicious lie told by her younger sister, played at different times in the picture by Oscar-nominated Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave.

With a great film, like ATONEMENT, you see many things in a second viewing that you missed the first time around. For example, the occasional sound of a typewriter on the soundtrack takes on an entirely new meaning, as does a brief scene of McAvoy walking through a field of poppies.

There is also a 5-minute stedicam sequence on the beach at Dunkirk that makes Orson Welles' brilliant opening sequence in TOUCH OF EVIL look like child's play.

© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008)