On CLIPS In September, 2011
THE DEBT 

A past mission to capture a Nazi war criminal has consequences years later for those involved in this thriller starring Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington.

TRIVIA: Helen Mirren won the Best Actress Award for what 2006 movie drama?

ROG'S VIEWPOINT
      (4 CAMS)        RATED R

Shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) in 1997 about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been praised for decades by their country because of a mission back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed in their younger days by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington, respectively) hunted down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. With a startling new revelation, the team’s dangerous and costly mission may or may not have been completed. “The Debt” is a suspenseful and intelligent espionage thriller that spans two time periods. Based on the 2007 Israeli film “Ha-Hov”, director John Madden (“Shakespeare In Love”) has fashioned a first-rate spy drama with an amazing cast. While Helen Mirren dominates every scene she’s in, it’s Jessica Chastain who brilliantly portrays a tough, driven agent. This is a role that is totally opposite her current portrayals in both “The Help” and “The Tree Of Life”. Movies such as this lose power if the villain isn’t a strong character. Fortunately, Jesper Christensen (Mr. White in the last two James Bond adventures) is absolutely chilling in the role of Doktor Bernhardt / Dieter Vogel. The first half of this film is riveting, while the conclusion becomes a little less believable. Certainly not a time waster, “The Debt” pays back the audience with thought-provoking entertainment.