Wonderful dialogue. Wonderful music. Wonderful performances.
I have discussed this film so much to keep on singing its praises is becoming overkill.
Tony Gilroy has constructed and directed a film that starts out with a bang and teases you as it slowly moves along until it punches you in the face in the final moments with dialogue carrying a lot of weight behind it. Performances from Clooney, Wilkinson and Swinton are so perfect they demand to be classified as “inspired” choices and it ensures us that Gilroy will soon be known just as much for his directorial outings as he already is for his screenplays.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an experiment in how a studio can sabotage a fantastic film. Of course, this film was never going to make a killing at the box-office, but why exactly did Warner Bros. even decide to distribute it if they were going to bury it and hardly promote it? Nevertheless, the fact that it was mis-handled by the studio doesn’t make it any less spectacular, or perhaps unique is the best way to describe it. I really can’t think of a film to compare it to and I wouldn’t want to.
After I saw Atonement I was positive it would be my #1 film of 2007, and as far as filmmaking goes perhaps it actually is, but on an entertainment level once you see my #1 film you will understand why I decided it was best to leave Atonement in the runner-up position. This film is the first romantic drama I can ever remember having a twist ending as if it were a thriller. The combination of acting, directing, music and cinematography is absolutely brilliant in this film and it shows what truly goes into great filmmaking, and why we watch movies in the first place. The magic of Atonement continues all the way to the final frame, and it isn’t often you can watch a movie and pick out a performance such as Vanessa Redgrave’s and actually want to give her an Oscar for what turns out to be about five minutes of screen time, but that is what this movie does, it elevates everyone involved to a point that you are no longer simply watching a movie, you are watching art.
