It’s nice to see another solid film from Mr. Wright.  The after-school-special fee of The Soloist, plus the bad reviews, couldn’t get me into the theatre, but Atonement was a really great film.  Saoirse Ronan was, of course, the best part of the WWII film, and just so happens to be Hanna.  She’s paired with Eric Bana as her father (who is also named Eric), and Cate Blanchett who drops her vowels to play CIA Agent Marisa Wiegler. For reasons that are not immediately apparent, Hanna and Eric are living close to the arctic circle in the middle of nowhere in Finland.  In the disturbing scene that opens the film, Hanna shoots a deer with a bow and arrow and chases the wounded beast for what feels like a very long distance.  Standing over the animal, she says coldly, “I just missed your heart.”  She then pulls out a gun and kills it.  This emotional detachment is somehow enhanced by how ghostly pale she is, almost albino.  While Hanna seems detached, her father does not.  He’s training her for something, teaching her all sorts of ways to defend herself.  And while he’s hard on her, he’s haunted by emotions just below the surface.

The time comes when Eric can no longer keep Hanna living like they are, and he releases her into the world, a place she’s clearly never been.  The few directives Eric gives her before they separate include to kill Marisa Wiegler, and meet back in Berlin.  Hanna is picked up by the CIA quickly, as they’re on the hunt for her father who is a rogue asset.  This is where most of the action takes place, and it’s pretty freaking awesome.  She escapes, leaving a very long trail of dead bodies in her wake–she’s now in Morocco.  It’s here the film looses a bit of tight pace.  The clever editing and camera shots that Wright uses take a backseat to a more human story.  Hanna befriends a British family traveling in a minibus.  Her, the fighting machine learns to love.  Or, at least make a brief friendship.

The rest of the plot is as predictable as this sort of movie almost always is.  A cat and mouse game between those on the lam and those chasing them.  More and more information is revealed until we finally get the whole picture.  You won’t quite be able to guess how and why things are, but still…  Regardless, Wright really shows a bit of dazzling direction in Hanna. There are some genuinely cool moments and some beautifully choreographed fight sequences.  And had can anyone ignore the score by the Chemical Brothers.  It far outshines the highly publicized Daft Punk soundtrack for Disney’s TRON.   Call me greedy, but I wanted more than just these individual qualities, as awesome as they are.  I was hoping there would be characters with some real depth.  Instead, I got a very entertaining, if soulless, action flick.

3 out of 4 stars

Lina Mayfleet (played by Saoirse Ronan) is a citizen of the underground city of Ember, built by the ambiguous ‘builders’ many generations ago.  She, like all the other people who live there, is becoming increasingly concerned about the rolling blackouts of electricity plaguing the city due to the 200+ year old generator that powers the settlement.  She is paired with a young man named Doon (Harry Treadaway), who’s certain he can fix the problems if he’s only given a crack at fixing the generator.  The two become convinced that despite the local lore that nothing exists outside of the city besides darkness, that there is indeed something out there and it will solve all of Ember’s problems.  The mayor of the city (played by Bill Murray) seeks to stop the two from discovering whatever there is to discover, but they continue their search, endangering themselves the entire way.

Director Gil Kenan created quite the world in this film.  It’s an engaging world of shadows, and passageways, filled with exposed pipes, enormous monsters that hide in the dark and threaten the safety of those that live there. The scenery completely envelops the viewer and it’s terrific.  The characters are mostly original, and well developed, encouraging sympathy for their plight.  The pace left a little something to be desired.  It was slow most of the film, and sometimes a little directionless.  Until midway through the film, it was unclear where the plot was heading.  Were we to focus on the groaning, creaking, and dirt falling from the unseen ceiling?  Or were we to concern ourselves with finding an exit, it simply wasn’t clear.  Although I haven’t read the book this film is based on, a discussion with Jessica from thebluestockings.com (you can read her review here) revealed that the film added much intricacy to the disappointing end of the YA novel, and be glad of that, it’s towards the end that the film picks up with action, adventure, civil disobedience, and crazy boat rides.  Actors Ronan and Treadaway excel, while the adult actors, Bill Murray and Tim Robbins are left onscreen with nothing much to do. All in all, this was an average children’s movie that will serve to spook and entertain those under, say, thirteen years of age.

1.5 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 47% - Cream of the Crop: 61%

The movie spans several decades and moods. Three distinct time periods tell the story of Cecilia Tallis ( Keira Knightley), her little sister Briony (played by three separate actresses) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). The story follows these three as their lives take place in the 1930′s upper-crust home of the Tallis’ where Robbie is the Cambridge-educated son of the groundskeeper, and through the devastation of WWII in France.

The film opens before the war, at the palatial estate of the Tallis family. Cecilia has been fighting her attraction to Robbie, the son of the Tallis’ grounds keeper, for years and Briony has her own school girl crush on him. The sexual tension between Robbie and Cecilia is palpable.

On a momentous day, with the ‘clarity of passion,’ Cecilia and Robbie finally act on their sexual attraction to each other due to a farcical miscommunication. This act is witnessed, but not understood by 13 year old Briony who misinterprets the act as something violent committed by a sex maniac. Another tragic event that evening, the rape of a cousin, forces Briony to accuse Robbie of these things which places his future in jeopardy.

The film then jumps ahead to 1939. Robbie is an ex-con fighting in the army in lieu of sitting in jail. Cecilia has become a nurse for the war effort and is now completely estranged with the her family who prefer keeping the untidiness of that fateful night tucked in the past, rather than revisiting it to learn the truth. It’s during this time that Robbie and Cecilia have one, fleeting encounter in London before Robbie reports for duty. In a scene that will surely stick in the minds of viewers long after the credits stop rolling, the two reunite with few words, but the acting screams volumes. In an obvious attempt at penance, Briony has also become a nurse and deserting her place at Cambridge. Now 18, she has come to grasp what she has done to Robbie and her sister and seeks to make atonement for the ruined lives she caused.

Christopher Hampton (The Quiet American) faced quite the task of taking McEwan’s sprawling and complex tale and turning it into just over two hours running time. Yet, the feel of the film isn’t rushed. All the elements work together to create what can only be considered an instant classic, a masterpiece, and an obvious favorite for this year’s award season. The moving and emotional original score by Dario Marianelli (V for Vendetta, Pride and Prejudice) works hand in hand with Wright’s vision for the film, adding to the splendor of the 1930s privileged life in the upper class and underscoring the devastation of war, death, and love lost.

The art direction alone is prime example of cinematography as art, pay attention Oscar. In perhaps the films finest moment, a single camera shot of over 5 minutes follows Robbie on a beach in the city of Dunkirk as 300,000 British soldiers await evacuation. Wright uses the shot to sum up a scene that must have taken thousands of words in the novel, to show the horrific reality of war. The camera weaves and darts and just when you think it will cut to the next shot, it stays with Robbie as he wanders past crumbling buildings, a singing choir, and euthanized show horses.

Even though each individual element of the film is fantastic (scriptwriting, directing, acting, etc.) the film is somehow more than sum of it’s parts. Even with all the talent that went into this film, it wouldn’t have been the masterpiece it is if Wright had forgotten the simple power of McEwan’s words. One can’t help but get excited about this new comer and his newest film-as-art. This is not your father’s period piece, and Atonement is something no one will soon forget.

4 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 83% – Cream of the Crop: 87%