Toronto. Atonement.

"Big, classy, Oscar-bait World War II dramas don't really get much better than Atonement," writes Karina Longworth at the SpoutBlog.

"A sweeping historical drama in the English Patient/Cold Mountain mode - no small coincidence that Anthony Minghella, the director of those two films, makes a cameo appearance - Atonement offers up the stock romantic majesty of lovers kept apart by war and treachery, yet it ultimately plays more to the head than the heart," writes Scott Tobias.

Also at the AV Club: "It's surprising to me that four of my five favorite movies at TIFF so far have been literary adaptations, given that good books so rarely translate into good movies," wrote Noel Murray about halfway through the fest. "But No Country for Old Men, Persepolis, Into the Wild and now Atonement all translate their source material in ways that retain what made them special in the first place, while adding something uniquely cinematic."

Updated through 9/26.

"Set on a beautiful country estate, the movie's first half is similar to director Joe Wright's earlier film, the amazing adaptation of Pride and Prejudice," writes J Robert Parks. "It's both wonderfully funny and romantic. But when the movie shifts to World War II and specifically the area around Dunkirk, Wright is on less surer footing and it shows. I was thinking during the movie's opening scenes how much I was enjoying it and that I was wondering when Wright would spread his wings and try something different. But after watching the second half, I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Atonement is an intelligently, evocatively directed movie in every aspect, from the adoring ways in which the romantic leads are photographed (who would have thought James McAvoy could be filmed as gorgeously and lovingly as Keira Knightley?), to a long take along the shore at Dunkirk that is one of the most complex and emotionally shattering single shots in movies," writes Jim Emerson.

"Chalk up another stunning achievement for Joe Wright, who must now be recognized as an auteur with few equals of his age and experience in world cinema," writes Ryan Stewart at Cinematical.

"The story's emotional gravity is magnetic - and you just know that once the big misunderstanding that fuels the rest of the picture happens, that it will all play out tragically," writes Matt Mazur at PopMatters. "Wright has masterfully set the mood."

Ryan Stewart interviews Wright for Cinematical.

For Cinematical, Ryan Stewart interviews Christopher Hampton.

Earlier: Reviews from Venice and Atonement's UK run.

Update, 9/26: "James McAvoy will break out big time with Atonement," predicts Variety's Anne Thompson. "That's because this is his first role in the classic romantic tragic leading man mold. Think Warren Beatty in Reds, Omar Sharif in Dr Zhivago, Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic." And she points to Rachel Cooke's interview for Esquire.

Posted by dwhudson at September 23, 2007 2:57 PM