"ATONEMENT" (2007).....C

The members of the Academy should be forced to atone for awarding this overwrought cinematic bilge a total of seven Oscar nominations, including a highly undeserved nod for Best Picture. This is truly a muddled mess of a movie which has been carved up into a triptych of stories, all of which shoot off in different directions and none of which bear any emotional resonance with the others.

Then the true reality finally emerges at the very end of the movie in a surprise "Gotcha" moment that shows that we have all been played for emotional suckers with a twist ending that completely upends our understanding of what has taken place. I have heard that the novel written by Ian McEwan is a fine read, but after seeing this movie I think that I will take a pass.

If this movie is worth seven Oscar nominations, then the 2005 movie, "Pride and Prejudice," which was also directed by Joe Wright and which also starred Keira Knightley, should have swept the Oscars. Let's be honest here - That was a far better movie.

I also have a major complaint with the marketing of this film, since a pet peeve of mine is when the advertising completely misrepresents the true nature of a movie. This film is being sold as the greatest romance since the "Titanic," which came out 10 years ago. I am sorry, but there have been many fine romantic movies since then, and this is not one of them.

The reality is that Robbie and Cecilia are probably together for less than 30 minutes in a movie that runs for more than two hours and 10 minutes. Furthermore, their relationship can hardly be called a romance. More like a quickie tryst and then separation and unrequited love when the new lovers are violently ripped apart. So, if you are looking for a movie that is filled with romance, then I would suggest that you look elsewhere.

Another problem that I have with this movie is with the sound, more specifically with the poor miking. My wife and I had a great deal of trouble trying to understand much of the dialogue. I simply cannot understand why the Brits can't capture the dialogue like it's done in Hollywood, especially when they understand that these movies are going to be seen in the international market. I found myself wishing for subtitles with the accents and the enunciation being as unclear as they are.

Continuing with my annoyance at the sound is the excessive volume of the musical score for this film, which made it even more difficult to hear the dialogue. One of those seven Oscar nominations happens to be for the Best Original Score. Unfortunately, during much of the movie I found the music to be so loud that it almost drowns out everything else. The score is decidedly not subtle and in the background with its resounding swells that bludgeon our ears rather than massaging them.

Music is supposed to enhance the dialogue and the visual scenes, not be overwhelming. The scoring here has all of the subtlety of a sledge hammer. Like everything else, the music lacked the requisite degree of finesse, but then that pretty much describes this entire movie.

The few high points in this film certainly must include an extended battlefield scene that presents the English position at Dunkirk. These scenes are very impressive, but they are dropped into the middle of the movie like they came from a different film.

I greatly enjoyed seeing Harriet Walter in a small role as the mother of the Tallis family. She has been a favorite actress of mine since her role as Harriet Vane in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series which were televised during the Eighties. I also enjoyed seeing director Anthony Minghella in a cameo role at the end of this movie. Finally, Saoirse Ronan (who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress) deserves credit for playing the role of the young Briony Tallis with a creepy concentration and conviction.

The story begins on a very hot summer day in 1935 at the Tallis manor home in Yorkshire at a time when it is filled with family and visitors. The long summer days are spent in languid activity, either indoors, outside in the shade, or down by the river sipping refreshing drinks and slipping in and out of the cool water. Helping to keep the property looking its best while the family and guests are at play is Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the estate groundskeeper.

Leon (Patrick Kennedy) is a young man and the oldest of the the three Tallis children. Leon has two younger sisters, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), a lovely young lady perhaps eighteen years of age, and Briony (Saoirse Ronan), a precociously intelligent thirteen year old. Briony spends her days writing plays and her evenings commandeering everyone else to act out the roles for the edification of the adults.

Leon brings home his friend, Paul Marshall (Benedict Cumberbatch), who delights everyone with rich chocolates made by the company his family owns. Also staying at the house for the summer are three young children belonging to friends of the parents. Lola Quincey (Juno Temple) is about the same age and equally precocious as Briony Tallis, but the two do not seem to be close. Lola has two younger twin brothers who do little but squirm about while looking bored.

The young and beautiful Cecilia finally realizes that she is in love with Robbie Turner in spite of the fact that he is the low born son of the family housemaid (Brenda Blethyn). Her parents had paid for his education at Cambridge, and he aspires to go on to become a doctor.

On this hot day while they are together, Cecilia provocatively strips down to her slip and dives into a garden pool to retrieve a piece of heirloom household pottery. She emerges dripping wet right in front of Robbie like a young, nubile Venus, which ratchets up the heat for him far more than the sunshine ever could. They meet later in the library and are soon clasped together in a sensuous embrace. Their passionate tryst, sadly, is interrupted by the appearance of Briony. The two dress in silence and then leave the room.

Briony has a role of her own, which is being the nosey younger sister who seems to be everywhere and sees everything. She observes, more likely spies upon, Robbie and Cecilia's growing affection for each other with great consternation. What they don't know is that Briony, a wildly fanciful young girl, has had a romantic crush on Robbie for some time. In her budding sexuality, she fantasizes that he will be the white knight in shining armor who will come to rescue her.

She is consumed with jealousy and looks for an opportunity to break them up. Tragically for the entire household, the opportunity for Briony to do great harm will present itself later that evening. 130 minutes and rated R for disturbing war images, language, and some sexuality.