Ian McEwan's novel Atonement hits the big screen, keeping the same sense of foggy, unsettling nervous energy. With the film version, McEwan's saga has become a stunning showcase for director Joe Wright, and there's much to admire in his follow-up to his hit debut, Pride And Prejudice.

Wright again teams up with his star actress Keira Knightley, this time he has her as the glamorous Cecilia Tallis, a reluctant heroine forced to suffer the consequences of a child's lie. The year is 1935 and Cecilia, a chain-smoking waif wasting away the advantages of her upper class existence, seals her fate on one day on the family estate when her sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) sees her by a fountain frolicking with local groundsman Robbie (James McAvoy).

A couple of miscommunications later and Briony - crucially described by Cecilia as "an unreliable witness" - accuses Robbie of molesting her cousin. Cecilia is inconsolable, all at once realizing her feelings for Robbie (James McAvoy) and watching as he's hauled away to jail. Years later, upon release, Robbie joins the hordes of weary soldiers in retreat and awaiting rescue on the shores of Dunkirk, still mourning what could have been.

Cecilia and Robbie do rekindle their romance, but he has to go off to war on the Continent. The uncertainty of how events will unfold is nonetheless riveting. And Wright plays it up with beautifully composed scenes. There's a rushed quality that creeps into the whole package, but Wright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton capture it all with consummate skill.