The Debt

A superb, stylish thriller crackling with tension, The Debt centers on middle-aged, retired safecracker Geoff Dresner (Warren Clarke), who undertakes one last job in the interest of helping his useless son-in-law Terry (Martin Freeman) break free of a ruthless loan shark. Of course, the robbery goes awry, and Geoff finds himself caught between the efforts of dogged detective Ed Foster (Hugo Speer, The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings trilogies) to put him behind bars and inexperienced young lawyer James Hilden (Lee Williams), who seems unequal to the task of keeping Geoff out of prison—forcing the foxy old cracksman to take matters into his own hands. Richard McBrien's script reflects careful ingenuity, while director Jon Jones keeps the plot moving at a rapid pace, injecting nice bits of characterization into the story without slowing it down. Originally aired by the BBC, The Debt compares favorably to the best of its genre produced in Hollywood. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)