Rolling Stone

Peter Travers

"4 stars. A crowning achievement. Written, directed, and acted to perfection. Sweeps you up on waves of ravishing romance.

"A vision that will be talked about for years. A potently erotic spellbinder. Sex, lies, and carnal fury spark one of the year's best films. It speaks of what's timeless about passion, art and redemption. Keira Knightley is sensational. James McAvoy is dynamic. They are heaven-sent acting partners. Vanessa Redgrave demonstrates what great acting is. Saoirse Ronan simply takes your breath away. Where Atonement is concerned, the only sin would be to miss it."

IN LOVE AND WAR - SEX, LIES AND CARNAL FURY SPARK ONE OF THE YEAR'S BEST FILMS

It's some kind of miracle. Written, directed and acted to perfection, Atonement sweeps you up on waves of humor, heartbreak and ravishing romance... This potently erotic spellbinder is not your father's period piece. It speaks of what's timeless about passion, art and redemption. Atonement is literary in the best possible sense: it's obsessed with the power of words.

Robbie Turner, portrayed with ardent precision by James McAvoy, is the son of the family housekeeper. At first he can't find words to express his longing for Cecilia Tallis, the daughter of privilege who ignores him. Since Cecilia is played by the sensational Keira Knightley, who blends beauty and gravity to stunning effect, Robbie's fixation is understandable. Then, on a summer afternoon, Cecilia jumps in a fountain to retrieve a family heirloom Robbie has tossed away. Her fury at him is boundless. He can only see her lithe body, quivering and exposed to a point past nakedness under her soaking, transparent dress.

At the servant's cottage he shares with his mother (Brenda Blethyn), Robbie heatedly types a note he never plans to send, a note with the Anglo-Saxon bluntness of his need to ravage this unattainable goddess. The camera comes in for a close-up as he pounds the typewriter keys and four letters appear on paper...

The word is never spoken, nor does Robbie intend it to be seen. He quickly scribbles a formal note to Cecilia, hurriedly dresses for dinner at the Tallis mansion and puts the wrong note in the envelope. The twist of fate that will destroy Robbie's dreams comes when he entrusts the delivery of the envelope to Briony (Saoirse Ronan), Cecilia's thirteen-year-old sister. Because Briony has a schoolgirl crush on Robbie, she reads the note. And that four-letter word, barely understood by a prepubescent girl, hits her like a sledgehammer. Briony, whose active imagination takes the form on writing plays, had already become feverish when she peeked through an upstairs window at Robbie and her sister by the fountain. That's when her emerging sexuality morphs into toxic revenge.

Wright and Christopher Hampton, whose script is a model of page-to-screen adaptation, show extraordinary skill in building this hothouse of carnal tension. While family and guests gather at the mansion, Robbie and Cecilia retreat to the library. Though horrified that Briony has seen the note, they can't help giving vent to uncontrolled desire. Robbie backs Cecilia against the bookcase. Her legs – kicking out from an elegant green gown – wrap around his waist. At the moment of penetration, Briony enters the dimly lit library and sees what she perceives as an act of violence. The impact on her is shattering...

Those scenes, which make up the first third of Atonement, transforms McEwan's prose into images that burn in the memory. For starters, we learn that the film will be seen entirely through Briony's eyes. And what eyes! Saoirse Ronan is the film's glory. Note to Oscar: This is acting of the highest order. Ronan simply takes your breath away.

And as Atonement shifts to the battlefield, McAvoy and Knightley deepen their performances... Knightley's star has never shown this brightly. And McAvoy is a dynamo, nailing every nuance in a complex role. They are heaven-sent acting partners, radiating a heroic spirit that insists on the primacy of love. That's how they are seen by the adult Briony, also a nurse and played by Romola Garai with uncanny skill as she comforts a dying French soldier with words out of her still-fervid imagination.

Briony's offer to recant her testimony against Robbie has little meaning to him on the beach at Dunkirk, where he waits to be evacuated with thousands of wounded and dying British soldiers. Wright sums up a thousand of McEwan's words with one continuous five-minute-and-thirty-second shot that catches the horrific reality of war and its surreal components as Robbie walks past bombed buildings, a beached barge, a singing choir, stranded show horses and a spinning Ferris wheel.

In tandem with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, editor Paul Tothill, production designer Sarah Greenwood and costume designer Jacqueline Durran – awards, please, for all of them – Wright achieves a vision that will be talked about for years. Still, Atonement wouldn't be the crowning achievement it is if Wright defined him self through décor. His intent is to blow the dust off historical drama to find its beating heart. In only his second feature, Wright leaps to the front of the ranks of directors. His talent is combustibly exciting, his work with actors exemplary, his approach palpably sensual. There is nothing yesterday about Atonement. Wright speaks in fresh, startling ways to a new generation.

In the end, Wright brings Atonement back to words, words with the force of ideas behind them. The older Briony (Vanessa Redgrave) is giving a TV interview about her latest novel. Redgrave isn't onscreen for very long. She doesn't need to be. Held in fierce close-up, she demonstrates what great acting is... Behind her shocking revelations lies a puzzle: Can an artist make amends for her sins through her art? Where Atonement is concerned, the only sin would be to miss it.

Playboy

Stephen Rebello

"A big, lush exhilarating movie. Gripping, brilliantly made, and grown up. It would be criminal to spill any more about the plot twists and turns of this sweeping epic that at times recalls the work of David Lean. James McAvoy is so compelling. Vanessa Redgrave provides a master's seminar on the art of acting. Superbly played by Saoirse Ronan."

Vogue

John Powers

"The most enthrallingly stylish tale since 'The English Patient.' As we root for Robbie, Cecilia and Briony to have happy endings, we recognize that the film isn't simply a grand historical romance but an explanation of how storytelling can both betray and redeem us. Director Joe Wright wins a scarily assured turn from Saoirse Ronan. Vanessa Redgrave is radiant. As bright and hard as an emerald in her ravishing green dress, Keira Knightley's Cecilia exudes a brittle hauteur that finally can't mask a fiery spirit."

The New York Observer

Rex Reed

"Atonement is everything a true lover of movies could possibly hope for! It is unquestionably, without any reservations, my favorite film of the year! Elegantly directed, meticulously acted by a perfect cast and lavishly filmed with a respect for both intimate detail and sweeping narrative. An overwhelming experience that has revived my faith in motion pictures. The genuinely talented Joe Wright does an engrossing job of turning literature into cinematic poetry. The sets, and costumes stagger the imagination. James McAvoy gives a heart-rending performance of strength and integrity. Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai are remarkable. A revelation of the potential power of cinema to twist, mould, convince, and entertain."

US WEEKLY

Thelma Adams

"The year's best picture. James McAvoy delivers a heartbreaking performance. Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai are both terrific. Keira Knightley is a classic English rose, hemmed by polite society, who reveals reserves of passion and strength belied by such a pretty, privileged wrapper. The country house sets are nearly as gorgeous as the actress herself, ditto the costumes and the war scenes on the beaches at Dunkirk are devastating. When we left, weeping and moved, we felt like we had lived an entire life out of our own skin, not just seen a two-hour movie."

New York Post

Lou Leminick

"The most achingly romantic movie since "Titanic.' Stupendous performances, stupendous directing, stupendous writing, stupendous production values and the most dazzling twist ending since 'The Sixth Sense.' I can't think of anything in the last 10 years that comes close."

Time

Richard Corliss

"Each period in the film packs a seismic revelation; the ultimate one is both devastating and cleansing. A wise, beautifully acted parable of vengeance and contrition."

GQ

Katherine Kingsley

"James McAvoy is revelatory. He delivers one of the most seamless, devastating performances of the year. He makes his character complex – vulnerable but scrappy, entitled but humble, lighthearted but intense."

VARIETY

Derek Elley

"Rarely has a book sprung so vividly to life, but also worked so enthrallingly in pure movie terms, as 'Atonement,' a smart, dazzlingly upholstered version by Joe Wright of Ian McEwan's celebrated novel. Keira Knightley delivers a star turn – echoed by co-thesp James McAvoy – that's every bit as magnetic. They and Saoirse Ronan drive the movie on the performance side and technicians like director of photography Seamus McGarvey and designers Sarah Greenwood and Jacqueline Durran provide a richly decorated frame."

Los Angeles Times

Kenneth Turan

"A rich, old-fashioned love story. A film of layers and surprises. Deeply moving. As directed by Joe Wright from Christopher Hampton's adroit script and acted with fervor by Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, this is one of the few adaptations that gives a splendid novel the film it deserves."

Marie Claire

Lauren Lannotti

"Just go! Go for the smokin' hot love story that pits Keira Knightley against James mcAvoy. Go for Knightley's enviable 40's style: the emerald gown, oxford heels, and crimson pout. Go for the sound editing – yes, sound editing - which weaves elements like a tapping typewriter into a magnificent score."

Newsweek

David Ansen

"Mesmerizing. The chemistry between Keira Knightley and James McAvoy is white-hot. A movie that rewards a second viewing. Mesmerizing."

People

Leah Rozen

"4 stars! 'Atonement' dazzles! A sweeping love story. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy couldn't be better, or better matched. Stunningly good."

Time

Richard Corliss

"Each period in the film packs a seismic revelation. A wise, beautifully acted parable of vengeance and contrition."

US Weekly

Thelma Adams

"4 stars. The year's best picture."

NY Daily News

Jack Mathews

"An amazing story! More surprises than you could imagine! Played with convincing passion by James McAvoy and Keira Knightley."

Chicago Sun-Times

Roger Ebert

"4 stars! Fascinates in every moment! Director Joe Wright shows a mastery of nuance and epic. There is a single unbroken shot of the beach at Dunkirk that is one of the great takes in film history. One of the year's best films."

New York Post

Lou Lumenick

"4 stars. The most achingly romantic movie since 'Titanic'. Hugely entertaining. Stupendous performances, stupendous directing, stupendous writing, stupendous production values and the most dazzling twist ending since 'The Sixth Sense.' I can't think of anything in the last 10 years that comes close."

The Wall Street Journal

Joe Morgenstern

"Romantic, sensuous and intelligent. The cast is uniformly excellent. As good a film as one could imagine having been made from a great work of contemporary fiction. That's high praise, and only part of the story. This screen version, directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Christopher Hampton from Ian McEwan's novel of the same name, stands on its own."

San Diego Union-Tribune

David Elliott

"4 stars! A triumph! 'Atonement' has all the pleasurable adornments you'd want. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley enlarge our sense of them, much as Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon did so long ago in 'Wuthering Heights.'" Saorise Ronan and Romola Garai are superb. Vanessa Redgrave is infallible."

San Francisco Chronicle

Mick LaSalle

"5 stars. Enormously satisfying. A film that puts viewers on the edge of their seats wanting to know what happens next. Epic."

The Boston Globe

Ty Burr

"Sweeping and ambitious. Impeccably acted. Joe Wright is a born moviemaker. Both he and star Keira Knightley advance on the triumph of 'Pride and Prejudice."

Seattle Times

Moira McDonald

"4 stars. Masterfully adapted. A story of rare beauty, both wrenching and wise. A fine cast."

Chicago Tribune

Michael Phillips

"3.5 stars! Certainly the juiciest wartime romance to come along since 'The English Patient!' Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are just right as the class-crossed lovers. Vanessa Redgrave is brilliant. Saoirse Ronan is scarily effective. Beautiful."

Houston Chronicle

Amy Biancolli

"3.5 stars. Lush and lusty. The acting is fervid. The cinematography astounds. The direction is pregnant with meaning. An ending that combines a gasp of surprise with the dam-bursting pathos of a classic romance."

Philadelphia Inquirer

Carrie Rickey

"3.5 stars. Ravishing. It delivers a shattering kick to the solar plexus. Keira Knightley, smoldering with desire, radiates a steamy cool that sets the film's temperature. James McAvoy, radioactive with lust, personifies Atonement's broken heart. Vanessa Redgrave is peerless. Director Joe Wright is an impeccable craftsman in the tradition of David Lean."

The Arizona Republic

Bill Goodykoontz

"4.5 stars. A place well worth visiting, and one you won't leave easily behind. Saoirse Ronan is fantastic."

The Denver Post

Lisa Kennedy

"3.5 stars. Elegantly forceful."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

William Arnold

"Visually arresting. The end, gives us a poignant, authentic jolt. It will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Vanessa Redgrave is magnificent."

The Washington Post

Ann Hornaday

"A sweeping wartime romance. A film that is almost too exquisite for words 'Atonement' has achieved that to which every literary adaptation should aspire. Director Joe Wright uses the full cinematic palette of sound, image and performance. A pitch-perfect cast. Keira Knightley is radiant. James McAvoy becomes a bona fide leading man."

LARRY KING

"Atonement fulfulls every wish. It is a brilliant drama, with a touch of irony... and the performances are uncanny. If you like the book you will love the movie!"