“Anna Karenina” is nearly a great film. The first act is flat-out brilliant, as director Joe Wright introduces his characters with a hyperkinetic camera that launches a classic story into the 21st century and uses a theater set in ingenious ways. Leo Tolstoy’s novel plays out among the typical haunts of the Russian bourgeoisie — exquisite parlors, ballrooms and theaters.
Stylish Anna Karenina fades at the finish