The last and only acclaim-worthy film director John Madden has presented was "Shakespeare in Love" (1998), which beat out "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) in the Best Picture category at the 71st Academy Awards. Since then, Madden has directed some letdowns like "The Replacements" (2000) and "Killshot" (2009).
Early whispers have already depicted "The Debt" as having potential for some Oscar attention. This movie isn't actually at that level, but it is still an above average, gritty thriller with a set of solid performances, potent dramatic sequences and some adequately executed action scenes. "The Debt" is the most noteworthy film that we have seen from Madden in a while.
Based on the 2007 Israeli film of the same name, "The Debt" takes place in two alternating decades: the 1960s, when a young group of Mossad agents attempts to apprehend a Nazi war criminal, and the 1990s, when agents' substandard efforts begin to catch up with them publicly.
The movie begins in 1997, when former Mossad agent Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) has gained international fame due to her daughter's book about her dangerous espionage mission. Her ex-husband Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson) informs Singer that their long-absent colleague David Peretz (Ciaran Hinds) has taken his own life out of guilt. He also warns Singer that a long-kept secret among the three of them is dangerously close to becoming public.
The story then takes us back in time when a younger, inexperienced Singer (Jessica Chastain) meets Peretz (Sam Worthington) and Gold (Marton Csokas) for the first time in East Berlin. Their mission together was to capture a Nazi surgeon (Jesper Christensen), who experimented on Jews in the Birkenau concentration camp and is now working as a gynecologist.
It's difficult to give a clear description of the narrative without giving away the twists. To put it simply, the espionage mission goes horribly wrong, and a love triangle develops among the three Mossad agents.
Some of the issues within "The Debt" are due to faulty writing. For instance, the Mossad trio is sworn to secrecy about the unintentional events that occurred during the espionage mission. Yet, we aren't given a clear explanation as to what the three of them have to lose if the truth behind the mission goes public. The writers also give the movie a completely coincidental ending that does no justice to the story.
The movie isn't as thrilling as it could have been, despite containing three or four decently exhilarating, suspenseful action scenes. This is mostly because the film focuses more on its dramatic aspects, such as the awkward love triangle and the exploration of each character's own ethics. Still, these dramatic sequences when the Mossad group becomes emotionally affected by the mission are more gripping and entertaining than the action scenes.
What really helps "The Debt" as a drama are the solid performances from the entire cast, as the younger actors manage to keep up with established colleagues. Both Chastain, who also gave a great performance this year in "The Tree of Life," and Mirren give equally emotionally riveting performances as Singer. Whatever holes that Mirren leaves while portraying a guilt-ridden Singer, Chastain successfully fills, portraying her as terrified in her confrontations with the Nazi criminal.
As Peretz, Worthington doesn't deliver the same sense of dull earnestness that he displayed in his previous films "Avatar" (2009) and "Clash of the Titans" (2010). In fact, this is the first emotionally demanding role in a while that shows Worthington possessing any acting skills whatsoever.
Christensen also gives a great performance as the sadistic Dieter Vogel, helping to provide the better dramatic scenes with the intense anti-Semitic mind games he engages in with each of the Mossad agents.
If it weren't for the exceptional performances and Madden's adequate use of drama, suspense and thrills, this movie would have just been your typical B-movie thriller. More along the lines of art-house mixed with action, "The Debt" is emotionally gripping and worthwhile for the performances alone.