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Baftas: Best British film04/02/2008
Golden Globe-winning film Atonement has been nominated for both Best Film and Best British Film. Here we check out the British Film contenders...
:: Atonement
Joe Wright boldly directs a visually stunning adaptation of Ian McEwan's haunting love story set against a backdrop of World War II Europe.
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an excellent cast, but it doesn't quite stir the heart as deeply as it should, falling short of the devastating emotional power of the novel.
:: The Bourne Ultimatum
Secret agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) learns the truth about his past in this adrenaline-charged film which continues the story from The Bourne Supremacy.
Fleeing the Russian capital, Bourne continues to search for answers about his identity, while back in New York, CIA agents Noah Vosen and Pamela Landy employ every piece of technical wizardry to hunt down their rogue operative.
Bourne's first stop is London and a rendezvous with a Guardian journalist Simon Ross, who has unwittingly uncovered details of a top-secret operation called Blackbriar, the forerunner to Treadstone.
Following the trail of carefully hidden evidence, and a chance encounter with intelligence expert Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), Bourne unearths more secrets, edging him ever closer to the shocking truth.
Director Paul Greengrass masterminds every shot with flair, relying on handheld cameras to get as close as possible to the characters.
:: Control
During his lifetime, Ian Curtis, the troubled lead singer of Joy Division never achieved the success he and the band so richly deserved.
Diagnosed with epilepsy and crippled by depression, Curtis took his own life at the age of 23.
Photographer Anton Corbijn makes his feature film directorial debut with this portrait of a tormented soul, based on Deborah's memoir, Touching From A Distance.
In early '70s Macclesfield, Curtis (Sam Riley) wiles away his teenage years in a haze of music, chain-smoking and prescription drugs.
He falls for local girl Deborah Woodruff (Samantha Morton) and they eventually marry.
Ian forms the band Warsaw, re-christening the group Joy Division under bullish manager Rob Gretton, but he cheats on his wife with Belgian fan Annik, who accompanies the band on a European tour.
:: Eastern Promises
Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts star in David Cronenberg's exploration of the dark secrets of a Russian crime family in this intense and bloodthirsty new thriller set in London.
A tour de force of robust, assured direction and powerful performances. Violence is used sparingly, but to devastating effect.
:: This Is England
British writer-director Shane Meadows returns to stunning form with this largely autobiographical snapshot of life in '80s Britain.
There's a stunning performance from newcomer Thomas Turgoose as the cheeky urchin craving a male influence in his life.
© 2008 The Press Association Limited
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