The Debt (2011)
By thisguyoverhere | August 31, 2011
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington
Directed by: John Madden
Written by: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Peter Straughan
Genre: Drama, Thriller
In 1966, three Mossad secret agents (Chastain, Worthington, Csokas) have been culled together to undertake a mission to kidnap a Nazi doctor who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews during World War II, and bring him to justice publicly for his crimes against humanity. In 1997, after the publication of a book surrounding their “heroic” efforts, the three agents (Mirren, Hinds, Wilkinson) are forced face one another, as well as confront the truth about what happened thirty years earlier.
The Debt stars a number of incredibly talented actors who all demonstrate their tremendous abilities. The performances of Jessica Chastain and Marton Csokas demand particular attention for their raw power, and, in Chastain’s case, vulnerability. It says something that a newcomer like Chastain can hold the screen with more intrinsic energy than her character counterpart, the consummate Helen Mirren. But if there is more interest in the younger characters’ story it is of no fault of the autumn-aged actors. There is a more practical problem at play here…
The Debt (2011) | Jessica Castain, Morton Csokas, and Sam Worthington
The choice of non-linear storytelling does the film a grave injustice. It begins in 1997 depicting the tattered lives of its three main characters, and after setting up how the world has acknowledged the characters as heroes, we are thrown back into 1966, which is where we spend the majority of the film. The dilemma is that not matter what happens to these three characters we already know that they will survive, which dilutes a lot of its tension. The story hinges on an interesting twist halfway through, but it’s not enough to instill us with a sense of urgency. So, when we’re brought back into the world 1997 for the final act, the segregated timelines makes it difficult to transfer our empathy from the younger to the older characters.
What we’re left with is a film that is deftly directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), brilliantly acted, but done in by a script that unnecessarily convolutes its story. There are set-ups that aren’t entirely seen to fruition, particularly in paying off the what the characters had to endure for thirty years, and how concealing the truth has shaped their lives. We’re given the results, per se, but not access to the empathy needed to involve us across two timelines.
Still, The Debt has a certain quality of filmmaking that is admirable. What it lacks in strong storytelling, it makes up for in well-crafted espionage sequences and psychological suspense. It’s a creditable exploration of reconnaissance in the spy genre, which has otherwise all but dried up.
USA. 113 minutes. Rated PG-13.
