Thursday, 22 December 2011 The Debt (Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:39

As the months of the year go by, we've seen a lot of summer blockbusters come and go. Some successful and others not so. So now as the year gets older we're drawn into attracting a different kind of audience, mainly adults so after brushing off my curiosity and somewhat childlike wonder over big explosions, fighting robots and rebellious apes it's time to watch a more grown up film; The Debt.

The Debt tells the story of three Mossad agents sent to retrieve a Nazi war criminal to stand trial. Set in the late 90's and 60's, the story goes back in time and forward again to tell of the complicated relationship between the three agents and their manipulative captor.

Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren; Brighton Rock, RED) is haunted by her past, the dark secret she holds amongst her fellow agents has been eating away at her for a very long time, and after hearing of the death of one of the trio, David (Ciran Hinds; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Rite) she feels the time is right to put an end to the pain and guilt that she holds so close to her. Stephan (Tom Wilkinson; The Ghost, 44 Inch Chest) her estranged husband tells her of David's death and despite Stephan's objections, Rachel has to right the wrong that she has lived with for so long.

After hearing the fated account of Rachel's bravery in the face of danger we flashback to the 60's where Rachel (Jessica Chastain; The Tree of Life and the upcoming Oscar grabber The Help) is on her first covert mission. She is met there by David (Sam Worthington; Clash of The Titans, Avatar) who is posing as her husband and Stephan (Marton Csokas; Alice in Wonderland, forthcoming movie Dreamhouse). Together they hatch a plot to kidnap gynaecologist Doktor Berndhart alias Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen; The Young Victoria, Quantum of Solace), a notorious butcher who conducted hideous experiments on Jews during World War Two.

After a couple of unknown reasons, The Debt finally gets a release. Apparently, Sam Worthington was picked up for The Debt even before the breakthrough that made him a star, Avatar, and that he was living in his car at the time. So to finally see this film given the light of day must be very rewarding for all. Not to mention Jessica Chastain who has three major films this year, including this, The Help and of course The Tree of Life and is really proving to be a breakthrough star so this seemingly all star vehicle (if you include Tom Wilkinson and Helen Mirren) just seems to have been waiting for the right time and the right place.

Going back to the 60's the young cast of agents work well together, Worthington really is given a role with far more emotional depth than before and rises to the challenge he'd been lacking since this movie was made with such roles in Avatar and Clash of The Titans. Marton Csokas is a formidable presence as Stephan which in juxtaposition is shown be his debilitating wheelchair bound state in later life played by Tom Wilkinson. However the standout performance goes to Jessica Chastain who conveys a lot of emotion in such a confused and naive character. Her scenes with Doktor Berndhart make for uncomfortable viewing, whether you're a man or a woman and the way she can turn from distressed and overwhelmed to cool, calm and professional is an emotional level I'm sure a lot of actors and actresses can only dream of achieving.

As the action moves back to the 90's for the third act, we see how the agent's lives have changed and how their willingness to do the right thing takes them to levels they never would even consider. Mirren revels in the espionage scenes which are a lot of fun but without being completely unbelievable and the payoff may shock the audience but there is a certain poignancy to it and it ultimately feels like the only proper conclusion.

In a departure writer/director Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman provide the script for The Debt, after best known for superhero adventures Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, The Debt is a far more grown up affair that deals with complicated relationships, guilt and redemption and is handled well. Audiences will feel like a lot of care has gone into appealing to audiences that Hollywood would usually ignore i.e. intelligent and thoughtful ones and beside the occasionally implausible action scene, The Debt will definitely be up there alongside Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as something different for those who are not a fan of explosions, fighting robots and dare I say it, rebellious monkeys.