The performances are more than competent, yet occasionally struggle to come to grips with the material.
Ronan is a staggeringly talented young actress, good enough to inspire genuine loathing in her character. Unfortunately, the lead character she plays, Briony, is played by two other actresses (a capable Romola Garai and the infallible Vanessa Redgrave) at other stages of her life, and while all of them do well in their own capacity, they seem detached almost entirely from one another. There's only that much a hairdo can do, you know.
Knightley is fine, yet altogether inconsistent, in a performance that doesn't quite impress -- while it certainly has the scope to. McAvoy, poor chap, seems to be almost snowed under by the material he's given, and while he manfully tries to frown and bear it, this is a fine actor wasted. The supporting cast is strong -- especially Benedict Cumberbatch and Juno Temple -- but they have little to do.
It is, indeed, near-impossible to distill the spirit of a 350+ page novel into a two hour film. I'm extremely curious to know if the Briony character is so callously incapable of winning any sympathy as in the film (do comment and tell me, please). For while this might be her story, she leaves us angered and annoyed -- and I doubt that would be the novel's intention.
Joe Wright's film is a glossy, eminently watchable period drama. If only we'd have less typewriters and more feeling, it could also have been a good film.
Rediff Rating: 2.5 Stars
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