Atonement

R

Released Dec 7, 2007

2 hr. 3 min.

Drama

Romance

List

83%

220 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

This sweeping English drama, based on the book by Ian McEwan, follows the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). When the couple are torn apart by a lie constructed by Cecilia's jealous younger sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), all three of them must deal with the consequences. Robbie is the hardest hit, since Briony's deception results in his imprisonment, but hope for Cecilia and her beau increases when their paths cross during World War II.

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Critics Consensus

Atonement features strong performances, brilliant cinematography, and a unique score. Featuring deft performances from James MacAvoy and Keira Knightley, it's a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel.

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Alexander H

Movie wrecked me. So well done

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

Full Review

Zhengxuan W

The most beautiful movie I ever seen. The sad story is told in a poem way. The best word to describe all my feelings to this movie is beautiful. The love, betray, regret and entanglement is so beautiful and real to me. It's dark and cruel for the two loving people but it's filmed with deep love inside the story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The beauty of this film is timeless. Perfectly captures the love between these two who can’t be together. It shows how one mistake can make all the difference. One of the best films of its time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

Julietta :

Loved it! I'd even compare it to Titanic! The tragicness of the movie is indescribable

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

Full Review

Judith F

Visuals and acting were good, but the story or plot leaves you cold, the guilty parties win and the innocent lose, there is no relief, only heartache and misery

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/31/23

Full Review

cato k

This movie gagged me.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/01/23

Full Review

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Joe Wright

Director

James McAvoy

Robbie Turner

Keira Knightley

Cecilia Tallis

Romola Garai

Briony - Age 18

Saoirse Ronan

Briony - Age 13

Brenda Blethyn

Grace Turner

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

It is an elegant and sophisticated film, one that never condescends or shirks from the complexity of the novel and its grand themes - war, love, sex, memory, betrayal, redemption - but it's also strangely unfeeling.

Aug 23, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: A-

Feb 14, 2012

Full Review

Bob Mondello

NPR.org

Joe Wright directs Atonement with an eye to framing each performance with spectacularly vivid images, including a genuinely breathtaking tracking shot on the bloody, wreckage-strewn beach at Dunkirk.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Patricia Karounos

Refinery29

Your heart breaks for Cecilia, Robbie, and what should have been, as well as an adult Briony...

Oct 23, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Director Joe Wright... drinks in the period while reaching beyond the surface and into the unsettled emotional lives of the characters—passion, betrayal, guilt.

Jun 11, 2023

Full Review

Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

We got a run of, again, very very pretty images that, for me, added up to a lot of pretty images that never got around to affecting me on an emotional level

Jul 2, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

This sweeping English drama, based on the book by Ian McEwan, follows the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). When the couple are torn apart by a lie constructed by Cecilia's jealous younger sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), all three of them must deal with the consequences. Robbie is the hardest hit, since Briony's deception results in his imprisonment, but hope for Cecilia and her beau increases when their paths cross during World War II.

Director: Joe Wright
Executive Producer: Richard Eyre, Robert Fox, Ian McEwan, Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin
Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Working Title Films
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing War Images|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 7, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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