An adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel about the catastrophic fallout
from a child’s rebuffed crush, Atonement should confirm
Joe Wright—along with most of his production team from Pride
& Prejudice—as a master of period film. Impeccable
design, perfect casting, sound that takes the clack of a typewriter and
embeds it into all sorts of furious onscreen rhythms… I was
swooning even before the love story kicked in. Admittedly, Keira
Knightley and James McAvoy are pretty dreamy, too. (See Movie
Times for details.)

Annie Wagner is The Stranger's former film editor. She was born and raised in Capitol Hill, but has since lived in such far-flung locales as Phoenix, AZ, Charlottesville, VA, and Wedgwood. After graduating...