Film Review: ‘The Debt’ starring Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain & Helen Mirren

By: GabrielleAdelle

Don’t lie.

Like really, don’t ever do it!

The Debt follows three Israeli agents on a mission to capture the dreaded Surgeon of Birkenau in Soviet-occupied Germany in the 1960s. The Surgeon of Birkenau was doctor that performed disgusting experiments on Jews during World War II. The three want to find this man, and bring him to justice for all the horrific things he did. The story also follows them 30 years after the mission and how they are dealing with the aftereffects of such a mission. Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas played the Israeli agents, and Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson played their older counterparts.

The Debt was on my radar sometime last year. It was originally supposed to be released in Fall 2010, but was pushed back to August 2011. Since that my interested in it had steadily waned. Last night when I went to see it, my expectations weren’t very high. I ended up finding the movie entertaining, despite how predictable it seemed throughout it.

The acting was good as expected with a cast like this. Chastain’s accents waivered a bit at times, but she portrayed her character well. We saw both expressions of fear and strength on her, and those carried on well into Mirren’s performance. Sam Worthington’s character was quiet, and I’m assuming that it was supposed to be more of a quiet intensity. Worthington didn’t really deliver the intensity, and Hinds didn’t do too much with his limited screen-time. Csokas and Wilkinson were really in sync with their portrayals of the younger and older Stephen. While Stephen is the least likeable of the three, I can still appreciate their efforts.

As I mentioned earlier, the plot is fairly predictable. About five or ten minutes in, I was able to ascertain what had really happened. The story did move a little too slowly, but it still managed to remain interesting and entertaining. The story livens up once the truth is revealed, and we see what agents decide to do about it 30 years later. I liked the end; it was truly the one unpredictable moment of the film, and I’m glad it ended that way.

The Debt is a good movie, and I would say it’s the best of all the new releases this weekend. It’s well acted and directed, and the story is rather gripping. If you’re looking for great quality thriller, The Debt is a must-see this weekend.

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The Debt is now playing in theaters.

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