I was underwhelmed

Rating: 5/10 (14 April 2008)

I was disappointed. So much praise for a mediocre film. I watched the Atonement DVD and was underwhelmed. But one thing it does have - a tween villain who is vindictive, manipulative and a twit. God, I wanted to slap her! While the acting was good, the film was morose, gray, depressing and disjointed. The way they went back and forth into the past was very distracting.
The scene that sets up the story is when Briony jumps in the pond so Robbie will have to 'save' her and be her hero. When he berates her for being such a twit and endangering them both - I think that is when she decides to get even. Maybe not even consciously. But it is all her jealousy. As smart as this girl is, I don't think she was confused at all at what she saw and what she decided to do with the knowledge. The older Briony is still trying to use innocence as an excuse.
The Dunkirk withdrawal is another confusing part - war is a mess - but for the audience, we at least should be given a clue to what the objective is. All we see is men going to and fro - to what end. Maybe I missed the dialog, but I was using subtitles - so don't think I missed it if it was there.
Acting honors for me go to the older Briony. McAvoy and Knightly were okay but nothing out of the ordinary. Young Briony was too deadpan. No expression. Maybe that is what the director wanted, but it was not effective. Her only change of expression was a smile when Robbie rescues her.
I can't imagine this film being remembered 10 years from now. 5/10 for set decoration, costume design, cinematography.