James McAvoy
stars as Robbie Turner – the son of servant in
1930’s wartime England. He’s a smart kid
with a bright future ahead
of him as he works on a beautiful country estate, but all of it is put
in peril when the
owner’s 13-year old daughter, Brionny (Saoirse Ronan), starts
to misinterpret
some of the activities she witnesses around the house, especially the
burgeoning, forbidden love affair between Robbie and
Brionny’s older sister,
Cecilia (Keira Knightley). In
a moment
that will change their lives forever, Brionny accuses Robbie of a
horrible
crime with ramifications that will be felt for years.
Will Robbie be
able to clear his name? Why
did Brionny
do this?
Atonement
is at
its best in the beginning as we learn about the secret relationships
and
desires of each character, and we feel all of the tension in this fancy
country
estate – a tension everyone wants to mask with typical
English aristocratic ways of glossing over the truth.
Writer Christopher Hampton (based on the
novel by Ian McEwan) and director Joe Wright vividly portray the
differences
between the well off and the working class, which brings additional
drama to
the torrid affair taking place behind the scenes, and each member of
the cast
and creative team takes great care to give the audience a
full characterization of each person involved in the story, so
the twists and turns
have more impact later on.
We get a bit of
a lull in the middle of Atonement as we see what
has happened to Robbie,
Cecilia and Brionny, but Wright does a wonderful job bringing our
attention
back to the theme of Brionny seeking to make peace and amends for her
past
misdeeds, as well as building a stronger case for the horrible
injustice
wrought upon Robbie, which gives McAvoy a chance to become the true
star of the
movie.
Most people will recognize
Knightley, and she does a fine job with her supporting role, but
it’s McAvoy
who will have you talking after the credits roll as he brings to life a
once
hopeful and playful boy and turns him into a bitter man with a painful
anger
eating away at him as his fate befalls him.
Best of all, McAvoy balances the bitterness with a
touching desire to be
reunited with the woman he loves, which will make all of the ladies in
the
theater tear up a bit.
Atonement is a movie that
looks great, and even has a bit of a surprise ending, which feels like
the only
appropriate one anybody could write.
3
½
Waffles (Out of 4)
Atonement is
rated R for war
images, language and some sexuality.
Copyright
2007 - WaffleMovies.com
