X
- 2011
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 53 m
- 2011
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 53 m
Summary The Debt is the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal—the Surgeon of Birkenau—in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. Now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must g...
Directed By: John Madden
- 2011
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 53 m
- 2011
- R
- Focus Features
- 1 h 53 m
The Debt
65
6.6
Where to Watch
Summary The Debt is the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal—the Surgeon of Birkenau—in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. Now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must g...
Directed By: John Madden
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
65
73% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
27% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
65
73% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
27% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Bristling with dangers both corporeal and cerebral, The Debt is a superbly crafted espionage thriller packed with Israeli-Nazi score settling.
Although they might have wished for something less conventional, it's the thrills that make this movie.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 145 User Ratings
6.6
57% Positive
83 Ratings
83 Ratings
37% Mixed
53 Ratings
53 Ratings
6% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 145 User Ratings
6.6
57% Positive
83 Ratings
83 Ratings
37% Mixed
53 Ratings
53 Ratings
6% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
Excellent...across the board. Intense and complex ... well executed, superb acting. Not sure if those who gave this a lower rating watched the same movie. It's a 10...hands down.
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The Debt eventually settles into a predictable groove that slightly undercuts its impact. Still, it's a film of ambition and substance.
The remake ups the adrenaline factor, and features strong performances across the board, yet feels bogged down by a weighty love triangle and a subject that merits more than the old-school good vs. evil approach.
The architecture of The Debt has an unfortunate flaw. The younger versions of the characters have scenes that are intrinsically more exciting, but the actors playing the older versions are more interesting. Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hinds bring along the weight of their many earlier roles. To be sure, the older actors get some excitement of their own, but by then, the plot has lost its way.
Just when many may have thought that Cold War thrillers had gone out of fashion, along comes one to reinvigorate the genre.
Despite the chronological juggling, the film's stylistic debts (a Hitchcock flashback borrowed from Stage Fright, a Bertolucci-esque apartment sequence that could be titled Last Tango in Auschwitz) are simplistic to a fault; they lack the multifaceted suspense and sensuality typified by those directors at their best.
One of the best movies I've seen in years. It had me on the edge of my seat but was much more than just an action flick. I really believed in and empathised with the characters. It drew me in to the point that I had to rush back to my computer to google it to find out if it was based on true events. 10 points!
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Well acted, it's always nice to see Jessica Chastain, she is so sharp (my favorite with her was Zero Dark Thirty-a lie, exposed nicely in The Report, but great movie), hard to believe she has only been making movies 10 years. But I have to agree with Roger Ebert. He said a thriller must be clear who is who and what is going on. Different people playing the same characters at different times, one scene they are dead, next alive, it's confusing. I thought it was a long time ago, young versions of people, but then there is brand new camera tech, it's too confusing. I quit halfway.
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An average plot that ends with the usual good vs bad, with good conscious prevailing. The acting should be better with who they've cast however its hard not to notice the distinct Australian accent in Sam Worthington's Younger David, who is supposed to be Jewish. Not to mention he looks nothing like Ciarán Hinds who plays Older David. David as a character was selfish and emotionally convoluted and actually cheapens the impact of the film. The pace of the movie was to slow to get to its interesting point showing unoriginal subpar directing. The action filled scenes won't put you to sleep but they aren't great either. Rent or download, not worth the price of a cinema ticket.
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Production Company
Miramax,
Marv Films,
Pioneer Pictures
Release Date Aug 31, 2011
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating R
Tagline Every secret comes with a price
Awards
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Central Ohio Film Critics Association
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
