The Debt

Combining the suspense of a political thriller with international espionage and a smattering of social commentary about the fallibility of heroes, The Debt is a fascinating remake of the 2007 Israeli film Ha-Hov. In 1965, three young, idealistic Mossad operatives—Rachel (Jessica Chastain), Stephan (Marton Csokas), and David (Sam Worthington)—were dispatched to East Berlin to capture and bring back to Israel notorious Nazi war criminal Dr. Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen) to stand trial for his cruel experiments on Jews in concentration camps. Skip ahead to 1997, as their triumphant exploits are recounted in a book, proudly written by Rachel and Stephan's daughter, Sarah (Romi Aboulafia). Now retired, facially scarred Rachel (Helen Mirren) is obviously uncomfortable occupying the spotlight at the publication's celebratory festivities. And she's stunned when her wheelchair-bound, now ex-husband, Stephan (Tom Wilkinson), informs her that their melancholy colleague, David (Ciarán Hinds), has just killed himself and that a haunting, guilty secret they've hidden for many years is about to be revealed. Astutely directed by John Madden, The Debt is propelled by stunning performances from Mirren and the chameleon-like Chastain. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director John Madden and producer Kris Thykier, a behind-the-scenes featurette (3 min.), “Every Secret Has a Price: Helen Mirren in The Debt” with the actress (3 min.), “The Berlin Affair: The Triangle at the Center of The Debt” on the story (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a solid thriller.] (S. Granger)