Reviewed April 2012An intriguing spy thriller about three Mossad agents about their mission 30 years ago and how its consequences are affecting them now. Excellent performances, a little rough on the edges yet competent screenplay and an even tone makes this an interesting watch before it all gets messed up by the end. Sarah Gold has just launched her book about a Mossad mission that took place 30 years back where a Nazi war criminal was captured and killed from Russian occupied Berlin. The mission consisted of 3 agents Rachael Singer (Now: Helen Mirren/Then: Jessica Chastain), Stephan Gold (Now: Tom Wilkinson/Then: Marton Csokas) and David Peretz (Now: Ciarán Hinds/Then: Sam Worthington). Sarah is the daughter of Rachael and Stephan. The mission was to capture Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen) responsible for experimenting and killing hundreds of Jews during the Nazi rule and delivering him back to Israel for a trial. The agents plan and prepare for the delivery, but the circumstances go off their plan and the rest is about how they managed it then and how it is affecting them now. Also deals with Rachael's feelings for both men in her team and how they end up. The real star of this movie is Jessica Chastain. She is unbelievably beautiful not just for her looks but also the portrayal of her character as a vulnerable yet determined young agent going to any lengths to fulfill her mission objective. Most interesting part is also the time line during their mission, which is shot with the right ratio of subtlety and panache. Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas also deliver apt performances. Where it all goes wrong is towards the end, not just because I am not a huge fan of sudden change of mind about honesty, but the way it is dealt with. Apart from the climax mess, the rest is so compelling made more by Jessica Chastain. Watch it for the new star, Jessica Chastain and some thrilling spy action sans fancy gadgets and over-the-top styling.

The Debt tries too much to be an action thriller when it should have focused on being a drama, because there really isn't that much action in the story. On the other hand a drama with a focus on the characters could have given the story more depth. But honestly that is just criticizing the movie for what it isn't. As for what it is is a very decent film that will be entertaining even despite the story's flaws. Out of those the most annoying would probably be the flash forwards that are then later repeated in their entirety even though we've seen them already. It's annoying and adds nothing new to the experience.That and the story doesn't really lead to anything with an ending that seems weird and made up on the last minute. What was Vogel's relationship to the patient claiming to be him and why was he doing it? None of that is explained and the fight at the end seems out of place.That said The Debt is not a bad film, above mediocre I would say, and overall a good watch.

I had expected yet another standard Hollywood take on the Holocaust but this is a surprisingly complicated, or maybe just confused at times, thriller about a botched kidnapping and 30-year conspiracy and its consequences.In a sense the film bites off more than it can chew. So many themes -- revenge, antisemitism, guilt, love, betrayal -- compete for the plot's attention that in the end I'm still not sure which one it decided on. But the process of deliberation was worth it. Even the guilt is so diffracted it's not clear who isn't guilty of something, except for the most guilt-wracked creature in the movie. Even the daughter who vanishes from the scene by the third reel, isn't blameless: you'd think if she'd been a better journalist, she'd figure out who her own father was and that in fact her whole family is full of sh*t.Another implied culprit in the entire kidnap fiasco is the government of Israel, which fails to come through after the initial plan falls through. We don't know why the plan with the Americans falls through, but you know how it is when politicians get involved. All that matters is that the three agents are on their own.Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson were the only known actors to me, and it's not surprising that theirs were fine performances. But the whole cast is good.

I feel like there's a really great crime thriller in here, or at least, it could've been great with other creators. That sounds harsh, and maybe it is and I shouldn't diss every film for not hitting the best possible levels or heights. But, it is sort of disappointing, if not really surprising just because the film hasn't had much hype or popularity since it came out until this time. Both Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain are the clear standouts, with the latter proving to have an insanely crazy and almost impossible year in terms of film and her breakout. Overall, the film is nicely made all around (if maybe a little too pulpy, or not pulpy enough?) and while I don't think it's all that great, still very much worth it.