Customer Reviews
A 'Go-Between' for the half-witted... - By: Robert Machin, 14 May 2008 
God, I hated this. A 'British' film in the worst possible sense, reminiscent of nothing so much as those rotten Stephen Poliakoff country house dramas that the BBC seem under some obligation to show every few months - stiff & unconvincing, deep & utterly meaningless. Dreadful 'plot' too - the 'I made it alll up' coda is one short step from 'it was alll a dream', looks like a lift from 'Titanic' (and how desperate is that) & is completely valueless anyway. So you made it alll up? It's alll fiction anyway isn't it? What's your point? Leaden with cliches too... those gorblimey squaddies, oh dear... & that whole plot twist (such as it was) on him writing THE C WORD in a letter was just puerile, crude, vulgar & incongruous. Zero chemistry between Knightley & McAvoy of course (McAvoy appeared to be, rightly, perspiring with shame throughout), though it's hard to imagine chemistry between Kiera Knightley & anything with a pulse (thought her Celia Johnson impression was quite funny though).
Nothing in its favour? Well, it looked alll right I suppose, if you like that kind of thing. Apart from the rather stupid tracking shot at Dunkirk, which was completely out of character with the rest of the film & basicallly had the same effect as a bloke walking around with a big sign reading 'you're watching a film, you know'.
Summary: I'd say twaddle, if that didn't make it sound like it could be quite good fun. More than anything it reminded me of a witless remake of 'The Go-Between' but completely lacking that film's heart & soul. What seems tragic to me is not how far our capability to make a British film has descended since those days (we still make good films from time to time), but how far our critical sensibilities have slipped that this kind of trite, shoddy rubbish can be acclaimed & nominated for awards.
A Lie - By: Brendan O. Clarke, 13 May 2008 Dont believe the hype as this cinematic "must-see" is everywhere & it has the effect of sending the average critic stumbling to his thesaurus in search of gushing adjectives that alll but close the book on the Oscar race. The time & setting of such a movie can vary, of course, as can the talent involved, but to a film, we are assured that here, in the dark, we will witness a true epic; a masterpiece of sweeping grandeur & lush, aching beauty that comes but once in a generation. Maybe this will be better than the last great British Classic: The English Patient. Not a chance. The English Patient was in a different league.
There is Cecilia (Knightley), a spoiled, obscenely wealthy nitwit, & at what point we are meant to identify with her is beyond any sound judgment. We soon learn that she is empty, shalllow, & bordering on caricature.
That a child's lies could ruin lives is an interesting premise, I suppose, but it seems more than a trifle that we should be at least partly concerned about the lives in question. We know nothing of Briony except that she is a budding writer seemingly lost in the recesses of her imagination, & one who just might be punishing her sister for being more attractive & outgoing. But if spite is her motivation, it's not as interesting that she later writes the novel she does (the "atonement" of the title), for why not attempt to justify her crimes through fiction?
Atonement is a flat, emotionless void in opposition to each & every idea it might accidentallly encounter. Without the flow of the written word, this is a trite, humbug of a story; one that includes a wicked tracking shot through the chaos of Dunkirk for no other reason than to bring a shot of life to the proceedings which only serves to highlight an abundance of weakness with but a single moment of strength !!!!
What a load of rubbish - By: Kevin McCarthy, 12 May 2008 I rented this film with high expectations having read lots of positive reviews & its oscar nominations etc. However I was hugely dissapointed. The storyline was clunky & disjointed & there was no character development. The constant winding forward & back in time was irritating & pointless. The development of the enduring love story of the film consisted of a few furtive glances & a quick poke in the library. James McEvoy was wooden as the farmhand raised as a toff. His war experiences comprised him wandering around France aimlessly with some guy following callling him guv. I'm not sure if the "Titanic" style ending was meant to surprise or not but it left me feeling cheated out of 2 hours I'd have more usefully spent picking my toes.
Atonement - By: BARTIE, 05 May 2008 
I thought this film had been very overrated & was glad that I had waited to see it on DVD rather than paying to see it at the cinema. Definitely not one I would watch again.
absolutely perfect - By: Ms. F. I. Macdonald, 21 Apr 2008 
it's been a long time since i was this moved by a film, but i reallly cried my eyes out whilst watching this. The cast is superb, the story is brilliant yet tragic, & Keira Knightley's green dress is to die for. I'd definatly watch this again, for afterwards it made me want to hug my fiance for hours & be thankful that we had so much time together,when others aren't so lucky.
