Atonement
So, is Atonement as good as everyone says?. Keira ‘jolly hockey sticks, head girl’ Knightly and James McAvoy lead as a pair of doomed lovers in 1935 middle England. After McAvoy is wrongly accused of molesting a child visitor to the country manor by Knightly’s sister he is incarcerated for fopur years and released only if he agrees to join the army. He duly agrees, and separated from his unit he attempts to make it back to his one true love.
That’s barely scratching the surface of what the films about, but I obviously want to avoid spoilers. I liked the film, but not as much as most critics judging by the gushing reviews. It has a moving finale and unusual twist, and the chemistry between Knightly is powerful, it just feels a little too Oscar engineered for my tastes. I’m not the biggest fan of these epic, ‘worthy’ literary adaptations, movies like ‘The English Patient’ or the entire directorial career of Richard Attenborough, although granted they are more interesting than the latest London mockney snorefest or Richard Curtis atrocity. The fabled five minute tracking shot exploring the carnage of Dunkirk is fairly impressive and overall it has made me want to read the book, if only to understand how McEwan tackled the twist in a literary fashion. It hasa very British, very ‘Brief Encounter‘ feel to the illict romance which is why I suspect our native critics have overdone it with the praise. Still, it’s worth seeing on the big screen so pull your fingers out. On a final note, jesus Keira Knightly looks like she’s been liberated from Belsen for Christ’s sake – eat something woman !!
Speaking of movies (for a change) I’ve gone a bit mad and applied for over £100 worth of tickets for the various movies forming the London Film Festival. To be fair, that does include an application for both the opening and closing night gala’s at £25 each, plus a few other premieres of new movies. Keep your fingers crossed for me….
Recent Comments