Review of The Debt (2010) by Stuart K — 16 Jan 2012
Written and produced by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, adapted from a 2007 Israeli film of the same name, and directed by John Madden (Mrs. Brown (1997) and Shakespeare in Love (1998)) delayed by a year because of Miramax being sold off, this is a taut, complex and engaging thriller with a 30 year gap.
It's got a good cast to it's name and is well made. In 1966, Mossad agent Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain) arrives in East Berlin and makes contact with fellow agents David Peretz (Sam Worthington) and Stefan Gold (Marton Csokas), who have been planning a complex operation to capture Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen).
They capture him, but after an attempt to get him out of East Berlin by train is botched, they have no choice but to keep him captive in their apartment. But, tensions between Singer, Peretz and Gold grow, and Vogel taunts them, and makes his escape.
In 1997, an older Rachel (Helen Mirren) knows the truth of what really happened when Vogel escaped, something she's kept with Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) and David (Ciarán Hinds), and on Stefan's insistance, she has unfinished business.
It's very well made, and it has two good ensembles, making good use of a juxtaposed timeline over 30 years. Chastain has the makings of a great actress, and it captures the gloomy mood of Cold War Berlin very well.
It takes a while to get into, but it soon makes sense and pays off.
This review of The Debt (2010) was written by Stuart K on 16 Jan 2012.
The Debt has generally received positive reviews.
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