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IMDbPro

Atonement

  • 20072007
  • RR
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
282K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
749
65
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in Atonement (2007)
Atonement trailer
Play trailer2:38
8 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaMysteryRomance
Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
282K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
749
65
    • Joe Wright
    • Ian McEwan(novel)
    • Christopher Hampton(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Keira Knightley
    • James McAvoy
    • Brenda Blethyn
    • Joe Wright
    • Ian McEwan(novel)
    • Christopher Hampton(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Keira Knightley
    • James McAvoy
    • Brenda Blethyn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 729User reviews
    • 310Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos8

    Atonement
    Trailer 2:38
    Watch Atonement
    Atonement
    Clip 1:00
    Watch Atonement
    Atonement
    Clip 1:00
    Watch Atonement
    Atonement
    Clip 0:46
    Watch Atonement
    Atonement
    Clip 0:44
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    Atonement
    Clip 1:07
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    Atonement
    Interview 0:53
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    Atonement
    Interview 0:42
    Watch Atonement

    Photos177

    Saoirse Ronan in Atonement (2007)
    James McAvoy in Atonement (2007)
    Juno Temple and Benedict Cumberbatch in Atonement (2007)
    Patrick Kennedy and Benedict Cumberbatch in Atonement (2007)
    Benedict Cumberbatch in Atonement (2007)
    Juno Temple and Benedict Cumberbatch in Atonement (2007)
    Vanessa Redgrave in Atonement (2007)
    James McAvoy in Atonement (2007)
    Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan in Atonement (2007)
    Best Picture
    Best Supporting Actress
    Keira Knightley in Atonement (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Keira Knightley
    Keira Knightley
    • Cecilia Tallis
    James McAvoy
    James McAvoy
    • Robbie Turner
    Brenda Blethyn
    Brenda Blethyn
    • Grace Turner
    Saoirse Ronan
    Saoirse Ronan
    • Briony Tallis, aged 13
    Ailidh Mackay
    • Singing Housemaid
    Julia West
    • Betty
    Harriet Walter
    Harriet Walter
    • Emily Tallis
    Juno Temple
    Juno Temple
    • Lola Quincey
    Felix von Simson
    • Pierrot Quincey
    • (as Felix Von Simson)
    Charlie von Simson
    • Jackson Quincey
    • (as Charlie Von Simson)
    Alfie Allen
    Alfie Allen
    • Danny Hardman
    Patrick Kennedy
    Patrick Kennedy
    • Leon Tallis
    Benedict Cumberbatch
    Benedict Cumberbatch
    • Paul Marshall
    Peter Wight
    Peter Wight
    • Police Inspector
    Leander Deeny
    Leander Deeny
    • Police Constable
    Peter McNeil O'Connor
    Peter McNeil O'Connor
    • Police Sergeant
    Daniel Mays
    Daniel Mays
    • Tommy Nettle
    Nonso Anozie
    Nonso Anozie
    • Frank Mace
      • Joe Wright
      • Ian McEwan(novel)
      • Christopher Hampton(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Through the Lens of 'Darkest Hour' Director Joe Wright

    Through the Lens of 'Darkest Hour' Director Joe Wright

    See how director Joe Wright uses his signature tracking shots to set up a visual narrative for his films, including Atonement, The Soloist, and Hanna.
    Watch the video
    Image caption not available
    1:33

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Only eight U.K. military ambulances from World War II remain, and this movie made use of them all.
    • Goofs
      Any apparent continuity errors in the fountain scene - the position of the vase, the tennis shoes, Robbie's sitting position, Cecilia's strap slip, the buttons on her blouse etc. - are not what they seem: we are seeing the same event in different ways through different pairs of eyes.
    • Quotes

      Cecilia Tallis: I love you. I'll wait for you. Come back. Come back to me.

    • Crazy credits
      The title types itself out like on a typewriter.
    • Connections
      Featured in Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: Episode #13.1 (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Clair de Lune
      Written by Claude Debussy

      Performed by Gordon Thompson

      Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group Ltd

    User reviews729

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Suite Britianna
    A budding young writer named Briony witnesses an innocent act she doesn't fully understand between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and long-time family servant Robbie (James McAvoy) one restless summer day on her family's lavish country estate in 1935 England that leads to scandal in Joe Wright's dreadfully sumptuous adaptation of Ian McEwan's international best-selling novel, "Atonement." Four years later, all three characters try to find their own personal sense of peace or redemption during WWII.

    This brief synopsis does nothing to explain the intricate complexities of the plot and actions that take place. Although Keira Knightley's performance is slightly off-putting due to the fact she appears like she just escaped from a concentration camp (surely young British socialites did not look like this in the 1930's), the stunning cast shows full range here racing through curious emotions: spite, lust, recklessness, and selfish wanton abandon. The facial expressions, especially from the children in the early scenes on the estate, are priceless. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic as they are often vain, self-absorbed, and quite silly in their drama, but they are fascinating to watch. The first third of the film is played like a "Masterpiece Theater" production of "The Great Gatsby" as seen through the eyes of Nancy Drew.

    However, what makes "Atonement" soar is the impeccable direction of Joe Wright. He makes the most audacious coming-of-age as an auteur since Anthony Minghella delivered "The English Patient" back in 1996. Wright displays a near Kubrickian mastery of sound effects (notice the strikes of the typewriter keys) that transition from scene to scene and often bleed into the amazing score from Dario Marianelli. Wright also crafts a finely textured mise-en-scene that visually translates McEwan's richly composed story onto the screen with near note perfect fashion. Nothing can really prepare you for how well directed this film is until you see it, and the scene of the three soldiers arriving on the beach at the Dunkirk evacuation is one of the greatest stand alone unedited panning long shots ever captured on film. It left me gasping.

    That scene leads to the heart of the film. The often clichéd romance at the core is trumped by Wright's depiction of Robbie, a single man forlorn and obsessed, his dizzying inner turmoil reflected against the grand canvas of a chaotic world at war. Likewise, Briony's redemption comes not in the too-clever conclusion at the end of the film, but in the intimate and symbolic confessional at the bedside of a dying French soldier. These moments leave lasting impressions, and left me imagining that if Joe Wright were to ever adapt Irene Nemiorovsky's "Suite Francaise" onto the silver screen, he would knock it so far out of the park it would leave "Gone With Wind" spinning in its gilded Hollywood grave.
    helpful•129
    63
    • WriterDave
    • Dec 10, 2007

    FAQ7

    • Was Robbie guilty of the rape of Lola?
    • What music plays in the trailer?
    • Should Briony's atonement be accepted?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 2008 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • United States
      • Official Facebook
      • Universal Pictures (Germany)
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Stokesay Court, Onibury, Shropshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • StudioCanal
      • Relativity Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 3 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital

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