"Atonement" **** (out of four): Director Joe Wright's core-shaking romantic epic makes all the right moves and has something for just about everyone. Finally, a new love story worth falling in love with.

We've all done things we're not proud of, but what if one of our mistakes has such a ripple effect that several lives are torn apart because of it? How can we possibly make up for that kind of ongoing devastation? These are some of the hefty questions explored in director Joe Wright's second feature "Atonement" - following 2005's amicable "Pride & Prejudice" - based on the much-fussed-about novel by Ian McEwan. It's an incredible, well-rounded achievement, and has something for just about everyone (time-spanning romance? Check. Ruthless backstabbing? Check. Eye candy? Many checks).

Read more on BigPictureBigSound...