"Atonement" movie review

This week we'll be taking a look at the Best Picture nominee, Atonement ( R). Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, the historical period-piece tells the story of a love affair gone tragic because of a false accusation. The movie stars Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan. Joe Wright directs.

Ryan: I see why Atonement received an Oscar nomination for best picture. From it's story of a fateful love affair in the backdrop of war to the impeccable look of the the movie, it's a film that has that quintessential Hollywood feel that moviegoers easily fall in love with. But I don't think it's a great movie. It's a really good film that has a lot going for it but it has a tragic flaw that prevents it from being a legitimate best picture candidate. I would be very surprised if it took home the award for best picture.

Andy: After watching Atonement, like with what Ryan said, I'm not at all surprised that it was nominated for Best Picture. It is the kind of movie that gets Oscar's attention; it's epic, tragic, well acted, well shot, and it's a period piece with great costumes. That said, the movie as a whole did not hold up as well for me as the other nominated films in the category. It is a fine movie with several (already mentioned) strengths, but by the end it did not feel like as complete of a work as it could have.

Ryan: There's no question that my biggest issue with Atonement is the film's climax and finale. At the very least, the movie's ending will polarize most moviegoers. Needless to say and without giving away too much, the movie takes a drastic shift in terms of the movie's time frame to resolve the narrative. It didn't work for me for a variety of reasons. One, it was all exposition—no action at all. Second, it was manipulative in a manner that is not fair to the audience. Not only does one not see it coming but when it comes it's just completely out of left field.

Andy: I did have some problems with this movie that are hard to overlook. Parts of the movie move at a pretty slow (or perhaps just boring) pace. The scenes featuring the Briony character are definitely weaker than others, and there are a lot of those scenes. And perhaps most disappointing of all, the ending is a cheap trick that minimizes the other accomplishments of the film. I don't want to give anything away, but most people are either going to love or hate the ending. I, obviously, fall into the latter category.

Ryan: Like I said earlier there are plenty of good things about Atonement. James McAvoy continues to impress and it looks like it is only a matter of time before he breaks through and becomes a bonafide Hollywood star. The movie's look is first rate hence the Oscar nominations (best achievement in Art Direction, Costumes and Cinematography) that are justified. Speaking of cinematography, Atonement has one of the best tracking shots that I've ever seen in a movie and it is hands-down the best scene of the year. In one five-and-half minute scene the filmmakers were able to take a small scale love story and make it truly epic.

Andy: Atonement has a couple of major strengths. First and foremost is the potential of director Joe Wright. In just his second feature film, Wright has (mostly) pulled off a sprawling, tumultuous story that, if nothing else, looks great on screen. The highlight of the movie for me as well is a lengthy, continuous tracking shot of soldiers at Dunkirk that is one of the best scenes I've ever seen in a movie. Add on James McAvoy's outstanding performance, which largely carries the movie, and it is easy to understand why people have fallen in love with this film.

Atonement is the weakest Best Picture contender but it is still a solid, well-made film. Final grade: B.