Stars:
*** 1/2
Rating: R for war violence, language and
mature themes
Run
Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Pre-war
England has never looked as lush as in Joe Wright’s intensely crafted romantic
drama.
Based on
Ian McEwan’s exceptional novel of the same name “Atonement” reflects a simpler,
easier time. Glamorous Cecilia Tallis (a stunning but rail-thin Keira
Knightley) lives in the lap of luxury on her family’s country estate, feigning
casual indifference to the attentions of handsome housekeeper’s son Robbie
Turner (James McAvoy).
The vivid
imagination of Cecilia’s younger sister Briony (adolescent wunderkind Saoirse
Ronan) sets narrative elements in motion. Briony, a willful sprite who spends
hours at her typewriter churning out histrionic theater, discovers Robbie and
Cecilia in a compromising position and, feeling slighted by a discovery far
beyond her ken, tells a shocking lie with devastating consequences for all.
In the
grand tradition of such epic historical romances as “The English Patient”,
“Atonement” magnifies its inescapable destiny with dazzling bravura. The onset
of WWII scatters friends and lovers to the winds and outs secreted skeletons of
the not so distant past. Larger than life melodrama sweeps across the landscape
as Cecilia volunteers as an English military nurse and Robbie toils in the
death fields of France.
Director
Wright steps out of the box, infusing his vast weeper with the glorious
fundamentals of sight and sound. Split point-of-view offers the turn of events
from both Briony’s immature eye and the flinty precision of adult reality.
Action is set to the high-wire notes of clickety-clackity typewriter keys, a
staccato rhythm of impending doom and the inevitable march of time.
Pacing
falters only slightly with a jarring segue from sumptuous wealth to the harsh
certainties of the battlefield. Wright’s skill behind a camera is evident,
culminating in a glorious, much ballyhooed extended tracking shot that’s as
heartbreaking as it is inspiring.
At its core
are the human impulses we love to hate; jealousy, anger and deceit. Star-crossed
lovers Cecilia and Robbie are blessed with smart if not sizzling chemistry and
enough star wattage to render “Atonement” one of the year’s finest films.