Atonement is one of the most praised films of the year, but if you ask me, it's somewhat overpraised. Sure, director Joe Wright is a visual stylist and he has plenty of cinematic tricks up his sleeve, but the film never quite reaches the emotional level it aspires toward. If Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel was as strong as Wright's direction then I believe all the excitement would have been deserved.

Set in 1935 England, Atonement tells the story of thirteen year old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), a precocious, aspiring writer with a vivid imagination. She lives a life of wealth and privilege and hasn't much worries in the world. One warm evening, after witnessing something she doesn't quite understand, she makes an accusation that drastically changes the course of three lives – that of her sister Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley), Cecilia's secret love Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), and, of course, her own.

Joe Wright, who also directed Knightley to much success in the entertaining Pride and Prejudice, tables a sumptuous visual banquet. There are several extraordinary sequences to speak of in this epic film, none more enthralling than an extended single tracking shot that follows a horrified Robbie Turner as he walks along the war torn beach of Dunkirk during World War II. Simply breathtaking and an image I won't soon forget.

The performances are outstanding. Knightley excels in period pieces and this is some of her strongest work to date. As the love sick Cecilia, this stunning actress exudes toughness and vulnerability with equal conviction. McAvoy, who turned in an extremely underappreciated performance in last year's The Last King of Scotland, is also sensational as a poor, common man who can't help but fall in love with the gorgeous Cecilia. As a once happy man whose life is all but taken from him, McAvoy soars as a lost soul who can only hope he will be reunited with the woman of his dreams. Saoirse Ronan is terrific as the thirteen year old Briony Tallis, while Romola Garai is convincing as the older, wiser Briony, a young woman who must come to terms with a tragic mistake made – a mistake with devastating and far reaching consequences.

There's been much talk about the final moments of this movie, and everything you've heard is true. This is emotionally freighted stuff. Haunting and poetic. The problem is Atonement doesn't really earn it's ending because the love affair between Cecilia and Robbie feels all too underdeveloped. There is a sense of yearning and love because the screenplay dictates it, but we don't ever really see it unfold before our eyes. The initial courtship lasts all but five minutes of actual screen time. Furthermore, Wright would have been well advised to ditch the gimmicky flash back process that occurs often in the film. These flashbacks felt distracting. This story should have been told in a straight forward narrative.

In the end though, Atonement is well worth watching for it's breathtaking visual style, the classy performances, and a gut wrenching finale. Again, the film doesn't exactly earn it's ending, but it's powerful nonetheless.