The Debt (B or 3/4 stars)
1n 1966, 3 highly trained Mossad agents - Stephan (Martin Csokas), David (Sam Worthington), & Rachel (Jessica Chastain) - meet in East Berlin for a secret Israeli mission: capture Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen), the 'Butcher of Birkenau', & bring him back to Israel for a public trial. The mission is HIGHLY intricate and, predictably, their plan goes off the rails. But they do dispose of the villain, & are deemed heroes. 31 yrs. later, & still haunted by memories of her younger self & her 2 fellow Mossad agents, Rachel (now Helen Mirren) must relive the psychological trauma of those events when news surfaces that that a man in Ukraine is claiming to be the 'Butcher of Birkenau'! Stephan (now Tom Wilkinson) is horrified at the ramifications; David (now Ciaran Hinds) is racked with guilt over something; & Rachel is forced out of retirement to uncover the truth. Hadn't they killed the Nazi war criminal 31 yrs. ago?
90 minutes into this film, 'The Debt' (directed by John Madden, Shakespeare in Love), I thought to myself, 'gosh, I love watching a well-acted, gripping Cold War thriller'. I was on the edge of my seat through most of this film (aided by a fantastic, pulsating musical score by Thomas Newman). Suspense builds in the 2 different time periods ('66/'97); back & forth, and with taut action, profound revelations, misdirections, alternate versions, & twists. Some of the characters & situations are true to life, but the main story is fictional. Thank God. Judging by what happens in the film's final 15 min. or so, the plot denouement felt a touch too implausible. What happens in the end makes for a good film, but wouldn't be taken seriously - at least, I don't think so.
I have to give props to 'The Debt' for being an intelligent espionage potboiler; interspersed with great moments of tension & release. As the plot evolves, we recognize that the early moments of the movie have given us a glimpse of various important 'highlights' of the overall narrative, which is eventually presented in chronological form. This includes an 'alternate' version of a major key incident which shows us (the audience) just how unreliable a narrator - when in a complex espionage story - can be. The misdirection given to us (that occurs early in the film) actually makes for a more surprising, enriching plot outcome.
Themes of responsibility, sacrifice, revenge, guilt & regret are apparent throughout. The characters are interesting. Their love/hate/respect/contentious
relationships flounder; and are interesting to watch. Jessica Chastain (so good in The Help) is extremely appealing as the younger Rachel; a woman with beauty, feminine wiles, cutthroat skills, intelligence ... but a damaged soul. Sam Worthington (of Avatar) also dug into his reserves & displayed some acting chops that I didn't know he had. Jesper Christensen is an effective villain because he embodies the essence of horror. We loathe him for everything he stands for, & for how he acts. The other performance of note is, of course, Helen Mirren; who absolutely nails the older Rachel. Every contemplation, facial tick, physical behavior, stuttered word ... you completely believe in this performance. I heard that Mirren traveled to Israel to research her role, further. And I tell you, it paid off.
I also liked watching the element of psychological tit-for-tat; while Vogel is held captive, he attempts to cause dissention in the ranks btwn. his captors. It is this segment of the film that thrives (the younger cast in East Berlin). Simply put, the scenes are more compelling. Crackling, even; given the importance of the mission they're on. I also liked the paranoid, ominous atmosphere of the 1966 scenes. The '97 sequences have their own end-game drama (and I wasn't wild about the ending). But it still provides a thorough conclusion. As mentioned, I was always on edge. And what's more commendable about that is that it's all executed sans visual effects. That's a credit to director John Madden, whose Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love couldn't be more different than this motion picture.
I also must commend the sound design of this film. Not only was the score, dialogue, & action-oriented scenes loud & crisp, but the sound in the smaller scenes (the brushing of Rachel's hair, the shaving of Vogel's neck) are quite effective in context, as well. Where 'The Debt' falls short is in its final act. There's a love triangle subplot that felt a tad shrug-worthy. And though the last 15-20 min. keeps the tension high, a lot of the dramatic intensity takes a dip. But overall, I really enjoyed this dark, complex exploration of identity, guilt, & consequences in Cold War Germany. The movie is chock full of enough intrigue, suspense, nuance, ambition, substance, & technical craftwork to warrant a solid recommendation from me.
90 minutes into this film, 'The Debt' (directed by John Madden, Shakespeare in Love), I thought to myself, 'gosh, I love watching a well-acted, gripping Cold War thriller'. I was on the edge of my seat through most of this film (aided by a fantastic, pulsating musical score by Thomas Newman). Suspense builds in the 2 different time periods ('66/'97); back & forth, and with taut action, profound revelations, misdirections, alternate versions, & twists. Some of the characters & situations are true to life, but the main story is fictional. Thank God. Judging by what happens in the film's final 15 min. or so, the plot denouement felt a touch too implausible. What happens in the end makes for a good film, but wouldn't be taken seriously - at least, I don't think so.
I have to give props to 'The Debt' for being an intelligent espionage potboiler; interspersed with great moments of tension & release. As the plot evolves, we recognize that the early moments of the movie have given us a glimpse of various important 'highlights' of the overall narrative, which is eventually presented in chronological form. This includes an 'alternate' version of a major key incident which shows us (the audience) just how unreliable a narrator - when in a complex espionage story - can be. The misdirection given to us (that occurs early in the film) actually makes for a more surprising, enriching plot outcome.
Themes of responsibility, sacrifice, revenge, guilt & regret are apparent throughout. The characters are interesting. Their love/hate/respect/contentious
relationships flounder; and are interesting to watch. Jessica Chastain (so good in The Help) is extremely appealing as the younger Rachel; a woman with beauty, feminine wiles, cutthroat skills, intelligence ... but a damaged soul. Sam Worthington (of Avatar) also dug into his reserves & displayed some acting chops that I didn't know he had. Jesper Christensen is an effective villain because he embodies the essence of horror. We loathe him for everything he stands for, & for how he acts. The other performance of note is, of course, Helen Mirren; who absolutely nails the older Rachel. Every contemplation, facial tick, physical behavior, stuttered word ... you completely believe in this performance. I heard that Mirren traveled to Israel to research her role, further. And I tell you, it paid off.
I also liked watching the element of psychological tit-for-tat; while Vogel is held captive, he attempts to cause dissention in the ranks btwn. his captors. It is this segment of the film that thrives (the younger cast in East Berlin). Simply put, the scenes are more compelling. Crackling, even; given the importance of the mission they're on. I also liked the paranoid, ominous atmosphere of the 1966 scenes. The '97 sequences have their own end-game drama (and I wasn't wild about the ending). But it still provides a thorough conclusion. As mentioned, I was always on edge. And what's more commendable about that is that it's all executed sans visual effects. That's a credit to director John Madden, whose Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love couldn't be more different than this motion picture.
I also must commend the sound design of this film. Not only was the score, dialogue, & action-oriented scenes loud & crisp, but the sound in the smaller scenes (the brushing of Rachel's hair, the shaving of Vogel's neck) are quite effective in context, as well. Where 'The Debt' falls short is in its final act. There's a love triangle subplot that felt a tad shrug-worthy. And though the last 15-20 min. keeps the tension high, a lot of the dramatic intensity takes a dip. But overall, I really enjoyed this dark, complex exploration of identity, guilt, & consequences in Cold War Germany. The movie is chock full of enough intrigue, suspense, nuance, ambition, substance, & technical craftwork to warrant a solid recommendation from me.