Review of The Debt (2010) by Jollyg87 — 15 Dec 2011

If all movies were crafted as carefully as this, this would be a run-of-the-mill thriller. The story itself isn't that fascinating, but because the film is perfectly put together in a non-sequential order and edited down so every scene serves a purpose to the plot, you can't help but be utterly riveted by the proceedings.

This is one of those thrillers that throws you into a state of confusion early on, and then as you piece together the details, it begins to take you in its grip. The performances are also pretty dang good with the two women playing Rachel (different ages) being the standouts.

Helen Mirren is great as always, and I can now say I officially love Jessica Chastain. She's debuted her chops to mainstream audiences in 3 films this year including this one, and I've loved her in every one of them.

She made an impact on me in "The Tree of Life," she was one of my favorites in "The Help," and here she proves she can stand toe to toe with acting greats like Mirren and Tom Wilkinson.

I was reading some snippets of what other people thought about "The Debt," and Tom Long from the "Detroit News" said it best: "The Debt has the overall air of an Oscar contender that never got into the ring -- well-made, but not spectacular.

Still, it serves as a fine, full introduction to Chastain's potential." Those were my thoughts exactly, only written a lot more eloquently.