‘The Debt’ is an invigorating thriller with a talented cast

John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) is one of our finest directors, and he puts his talents to good use in The Debt, an invigorating new thriller starring Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington.

Using parallel storylines, the movie follows a group of Mossad secret agents as they track down the infamous Nazi criminal Dieter Vogel, nicknamed the surgeon of Birkenau (Jesper Christensen, in a scarily effective performance). We come to know their story by watching it unfold in 1960s East Berlin and also seeing the aftermath of their actions some 30 years later in Tel Aviv.

Among the younger set, the gorgeous Jessica Chastain plays Rachel Singer, a woman who undergoes uncomfortable gynecological exams at the hands of Vogel, in order to get closer to the villainous man. Helping her with the prep work is Stephan Gold (Marton Csokas) and David Peretz (Worthington). All three of them live in a dilapidated flat that leaks when the cold Berlin rain pours down. But despite the less-than-agreeable living conditions, the agents are focused on their mission, undergoing training exercises and keeping up the façade that they are local Germans. In their dedicated minds, the Jewish people need just retribution for Vogel’s heinous acts during the war. They want him, and they want him alive.

Although the details of their mission take up the central plot of The Debt, we also come to learn of what happened to these three agents decades later. Rachel and Stephan, now played by Mirren and Tom Wilkinson, had a child together and an unsuccessful marriage. David, played by Ciarán Hinds, is a reclusive man who holds a great deal of guilt in his heart. The three come back together for the release of a new book by Rachel and Stephan’s daughter, Sarah (Romi Aboulafia). The reunion causes them all to reflect on what exactly happened in East Berlin so many years ago.

The film is expertly paced and features a complex, but always understandable, script by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan. Their source material is Ha-Hov, an earlier film written by Assaf Bernstein and Ido Rosenblum. The action is intense, but it never gets ahead of the story. The Debt is rooted in atmospheric history, with the streets of dank Berlin providing a perfect setting.

Because Jespersen proves to be such a deceptive villain, the intensity level of the movie is quite high. Like the finest examples of the espionage sub-genre, The Debt knows how to turn that screw and cause beads of sweat to pour from the audience’s forehead. At every turn, it appears that this mission may come drastically undone.

All of the actors play their parts with believable, albeit simple, accents. At first, it’s a little odd watching American and British actors fill these roles, but the cast convinces the audience quickly. Chastain stands out, mostly because her role is the meatiest. She undergoes so much at the hands of Vogel, and the actress is able to convey a bevy of emotions. There’s also a quiet dignity to Mirren’s performance, and I very much liked Csokas as the hothead leader of the group.

It has been a while since an espionage thriller has worked as well as The Debt does. The movie is pure adrenaline and one of the finest dramas of the year. It’s difficult to look away from the screen for one second, and the surprising final act of the film will leave you guessing and wanting more.

The Debt makes good on its title.

• The Debt

• 2011

• Directed by John Madden

• Written by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan; based on the film Ha-Hov by Assaf Bernstein and Ido Rosenblum

• Starring Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, Martin Csokas and Jesper Christensen

• Running time: 113 minutes

• Rated R for some violence and language

• Rating:

• Click here to purchase The Debt on DVD.