^ Was about to come in here to post about seeing that today as my most recent film.
Am I a horrible person for initially being on Briony's side when she started to manipulate things?

I just thought 'that girl is gutsy'. Then I started to hate her.
Agree wholeheartedly. The score's wonderful and already purchased it. I think it's a film for the more mature-minded person but I love the film to bits

That Dunkirk beach scene is one of the best continous takes I've seen in recent times... very moving particularly due to the finale...
Thought it was also brilliant how they showed a few scenes from different perspectives, in particular the fountain one.
That ending haunted me too.
Definitely one of my all-time favourite films. Wish I'd read the novel beforehand though but will definitely be seeking it out.
No, you're not horrible for being on Briony's side initially, I don't think. See I saw her as such a smart, ambitious, naive and lively girl, that it was hard not to like her, and I was quite expecting her -despite her eleviated claims about Robbie to Lola - to see the truth for what it was much sooner, and make haste with fixing things; but then of coarse there would be no story.
I only
wish right now that I could purchase the film score, but just before I saw the movie, I had already purchased the soundtracks to 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Notes on a Scandal', leaving me completely broke once I saw the movie, but then again, it had to happen some time soon, I've been shopping all week. I just LOVE it in the context of the film, and I know I'd love it outside of it too. I'm one of those people who find a film completely transformed when they have brilliant music like that, even if the film is rubbish. It just makes it so much more engaging to me. I now regret buying Sweeney Todd, I wish I could buy the Atonement soundtrach in its place.
It's funny, because I didn't even realise that the scene in Dunkirk was one gorgeous, continuous shot until it trailed the railings up at the cinema. Something clicked in my head, and I was just like 'oh, isn't that beautiful the way it's moving along with the sunset in the background behind the bandstand and ferris wheel? Oh, I think it may have been doing that for the last 5 minutes!' I like to think that when done right, the one continuous shot is pretty much unnoticable as one shot, that it's done for reason beside showing off; and I think this one one of those. It just contained a great subtle beauty.
The whole perspective motif was quite effective too I think. It was probably one of the most well done things about the film. The time it happened down by the fountain, I didn't know what in hell was happening. Again, something clicked, and it worked to great effect from there.
I did love the film very much. It's not an OMG tiz iz AWeZOme!! type film -that's not it's point, though I'm quite sure it will clean up at the Oscars - but a well thought out film with many elegant touches that make it wonderful thing to watch. I think it'll either catch you, or it won't; and when it does, it just keeps on pulling you to a very strong, but abrupt ending that may make you think about your own grave mistakes upon others.