Atonement

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2009)

A magnificent, visually splendid, powerful drama (I cried towards the end!) which I haven't stopped thinking about since I saw it.
James MacAvoy plays one of those classic benighted, put-upon, noble, dignified, victim-of-fate characters that - unless Bjork's playing them in a Lars von Trier picture - are rarely more than rag dolls or punching bags for the writer to pile plot points on, but his character is so well-written, so likable, and his performance so good that every little blow he's struck resonates deeply.
The initial stages of the love story at the heart of the picture somehow don't feel rushed even though the two leads spend remarkably little time on screen together, and - dare I say it? - Kiera Knightley turns in a fantastic performance that has proved to me once and for all that she is indeed capable of great things.
Not only is there a powerful love story, there's also a fascinating moral question running throughout that isn't really wrapped up and is left to the viewer to decide.
Aside from the stunning, sledgehammer twist ending, the final moments are incredible in that they dissolve all the film's flaws. Issues I had with pacing in one scene that seemed interminable and my annoyance at the overly-choppy timeline just went away, all fully justified by the time the credits rolled.
It looks beautiful, has a great score, and the scene at Dunkirk, an endless tracking shot of huge scope and ambition, is as impressive as anything I've seen in a war picture.