The Debt

You know fall is upon us, because that's when the spy/espionage films start their descent into the cineplex. As with the case of "The Debt", this is a somewhat grittier yarn than its predecessors which I believe can only make it a better, or at least, a different approach to a already done genre.

This espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciaran Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed respectively by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel/Dr. Bernhardt (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished--or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations.

Others to round out the cast are Romi Aboulafia as Sarah Gold, Rachel's daughter, and Brigitte Kren as Frau Bernhardt, Dr. Bernhardt's nurse and wife.

This was well paced by director John Madden ("Ethan Frome" '93, "Golden Gate" '94, "Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown" '97, "Shakespeare in Love" '98, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" '01, "Proof" '05, "Killshot" '08) who just kept you on the edge of your seat. It was written by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan based on the film "Ha-Hov" by Assaf Bernstein and Ido Rosenblum. This script could've been so convoluted in its writings because of going back and forth from one time period to another, but, other than very few small inconsistencies in plot, these guys really pulled it off. I haven't seen Helen Mirren this good since "The Queen" '06.You could feel this woman's pain of what she went through back in 1966.

This is one of the best espionage films I have seen in a while, especially of its grittiness. It simply gives you feeling like you're watching these characters do their spying job, because of the realness of it.

out of 4 stars: 3.5                           Rated: R                        114min.