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MOVIES / ON DVD / ATONEMENT
Atonement

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Atonement (2007)

83%
87%
81%
N/A
N/A
N/A
83 %
Reviews Counted: 191 Fresh: 158  Rotten:33 Average Rating: 7.3/10
 
Consensus: Atonement features strong performances, brilliant cinematography, and a unique score. Featuring deft performances from James MacAvoy and Keira Knightley, it's a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Theatrical Release: Dec 7, 2007 Limited

Box Office: $50,830,581

Synopsis: On a sultry summer day in 1935, an upper-class British family prepares for a dinner party at their country estate. The players: Briony Tallis (newcomer Saoirse Ronan), a precocious preteen writer; her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley), Cambridge graduate and femme fatale; Robbie... On a sultry summer day in 1935, an upper-class British family prepares for a dinner party at their country estate. The players: Briony Tallis (newcomer Saoirse Ronan), a precocious preteen writer; her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley), Cambridge graduate and femme fatale; Robbie Turner (James McEvoy), the housekeeper's mensch-y son, who carries a torch for Cecilia; and various visitors and family members. A series of misperceptions, fueled by the summer heat and Briony's childish hurts and fevered imagination, lead to a dramatic false accusation that lands Robbie in jail. We meet all three characters five years later in the thick of World War II, as foot soldier Robbie prepares for the Dunkirk evacuation and the two estranged sisters train as nurses in London. Director Joe Wright (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) deserves high praise for translating Ian McEwan's highly internalized, multilayered tale of guilt, redemption, and the power and limits of the artistic imagination, into a sumptuous visual feast that not only conveys the intricate plot points of the novel, but dives headfirst into the emotional subtleties that make the story so wrenching. Whether any of the characters' actions are ultimately atoned for by the end of the film is a matter of perception, but Wright's sympathetic eye ensures that every player gets a fair trial. The young director favors long, lingering close-ups that trace every flicker of feeling--Ronan's luminous blue eyes clouding over with righteous gravity; the tremors of hurt and anger and love in McEvoy's sensitive face; the defiant jut of Knightley's jaw as it melts into tender affection. The honey-drizzled look of the first two thirds of the film contrasts achingly with the tension and seriousness of the action unfolding (and the grim intensity of the wartime sections), and the scenes on the beach at Dunkirk include some of the most masterly camera work of any recent film. ATONEMENT is a powerful story, retold in a way that even diehard fans of the book will appreciate. [More]

Genre: British, Drama, Romance, Young Love, Period Piece, Family Crises, Based On A Novel

Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave

Director: Joe Wright
Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster
Composer: Dario Marianelli

DVD Info

Release:

Mar 18, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Note:This is a HD-DVD/DVD hybrid, playable on HD-DVD and standard DVD players.
  • Side A: ATONEMENT - High Definition
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround - English, French
  • Subtitles - English (SDH), French - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Joe Wright - Director
  • Deleted Scenes with Commentary - Joe Wright - Director
  • Featurette - 1. FROM NOVEL TO SCREEN: Adapting a Classic
  • 2. BRINGING THE PAST TO LIFE: Making of ATONEMENT
  • Side B: ATONEMENT - Standard Definition
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - English (SDH), French, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Joe Wright - Director
  • Deleted Scenes - Deleted Scenes with Commentary - Joe Wright - Director
  • Featurette - FROM NOVEL TO SCREEN: Adapting a Classic

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Ratings Image
3/5

Not a bad picture by any means, just way too fussy. Ladies will love it.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/25/08
Chris Laverty
Mansized
Ratings Image
N/A

Few films this year were as magnificent looking and few as misunderstood.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/15/08
Nathaniel Rogers
Film Experience
Ratings Image
2/5

[U]ltimately, the movie amounts to rolling lawns, lovely costumes, and characters that simply fail to resonate.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC
Ratings Image
4/5

Director Joe Wright is quickly establishing himself as a powerhouse adapter of period romance tomes.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/15/08
Mike Sage
Peterborough This Week
Ratings Image
2.5/5

At some points Wright appears to be simply showing off the dexterity of his visual ambitions to the detriment of the story's emotional core.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/25/08
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
Ratings Image
N/A

the film actually transcends the novel at times, due in no small part to Seamus McGarvey's fluid camera work.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/17/08
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife
Ratings Image
N/A

Ronan has a remarkably self-possessed, haunted quality that would be impressive for a newcomer of any age.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/06/08
Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper
Ratings Image
B

...This leads to one of the best romances of the year. The problem comes when an older Briony attempts to atone for her misdeeds.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/04/08
Jeff Bayer
Daily Herald (IL)
Ratings Image
3.5/4

Wright's camera takes you on many memorable journeys, none as great as an incredible five minute tracking shot in which the scene never cuts away

Full Review | comment Comment
03/01/08
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Ratings Image
8/10

Atonement exquisitely captures the essence and nuance of the page and translates it to the screen with breathtaking originality.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette
Ratings Image
4.5/5

This is one fine film and I found it even more moving than the book.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/27/08
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies
Ratings Image
4.5/5

As a technical achievement, it's one of the better films I have seen this year. The story is old-school overblown and yet it is played so sincerely you hardly notice its old-fashioned fire.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/16/08
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina
Ratings Image
1/4

An overly-ambitious, ultimately unsatisfying adaptation of Ian McEwen's best-selling romance novel.

Full Review | comment 2 Comments
02/09/08
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze
Ratings Image
3/5

Podrá resultar más o menos bella, triste, fría, conmovedora, romántica, incluso intrascendente, pero sin duda estamos ante una película exquisitamente elaborada por un brillante equipo de artistas.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/31/08
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
Ratings Image
A

Provides for the most inspiring cinematic experience of the year.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/24/08
Danny Minton
Beaumont Journal
Ratings Image
N/A

Atonement has significant themes, tragic circumstances and profound lessons on life and personal responsibility. It's sooooooo booooooring.

Full Review | comment 1 Comment
01/24/08
Fred Topel
Can Magazine
Ratings Image
4/6

Atonement's extraordinary qualities outweigh any quibbles.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/18/08
David Fear
Time Out New York
Ratings Image
N/A

The lingering deaths of soldiers and the lost causes they embody serve as tragic backdrops to the less compelling plot points embodied by Briony and her characters.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/17/08
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
Ratings Image
N/A

I have little doubt that this all worked a lot better in the book.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/15/08
Kevin Koehler
Pretentious Musings
Ratings Image
3.5/4

a superbly-made film that all but cries out for Oscar accolades

Full Review | comment Comment
01/14/08
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy
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