We know from bitter experience that placing Keira Knightley in the centre of a literary masterpiece is a little, how would you say? – dicey. Those who remember Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007) would surely agree. But Knightley has kept the chin-jutting and gratuitous pouting to a minimum here and it seems to be working. Although, director Joe Wright was responsible for both Pride and Prejudice and Atonement so we can’t give you any guarantees.
But let us focus on the scenery, the sumptuous costumes, the overall mood and the casting – which looks to be solid. There’s Jude Law, Kelly McDonald, (you’ll remember her most recent work in Boardwalk Empire, which was excellent) and Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery. So even if Keira does pull one of those faces we can hopefully be distracted by the other players and the general ambience. Watch!
