Consinema Movie Review: The Debt

Rating: 4 out of 5 Popcorn Bags

Title: The Debt

Director: John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Proof, Killshot)

The Pitch: In 1997, two former Mossad agents, Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson), both  national heroes because a of celebrated mission they undertook three decades earlier,  learn shocking news about the third member of their team, David (Ciarán Hinds).

Plot Summary: The story is anchored in a 1997 at a book launch by Rachel's (Mirren) daughter, who has written about the team's legendary mission on the other side of the Berlin wall. The story unfolds in the past and the present through Rachel's reverie during the book launch.We can't tell you much more than that - only that it works.

The Verdict: John Madden has built a career on period pieces (Shakespeare in Love), character dramas (Proof), and thrillers (killshot). In this remake of a 2007 Israeli thriller, he gets to combine all of the above along with flashbacks, multiple locations, and different actors playing the same roles in different time periods. It could have been a confusing mess, but it's not; it adds up to a smart, suspenseful, Le Carré-esqe espionage thriller.

What Shines: The acting is superb. But what else would you expect from this cast? Take Jessica Chastain (vulnerable), Helen Mirren (scarred), Martin Czokas (charismatic, dangerous), Tom Wilkinson (morally ambiguous - again?), and Jesper Cristensen (smoothly malevolent). Throw in a love triangle. The script, direction and performances skilfully link the younger characters with their older iterations.

What Sucks: While the performances are excellent, some of the characters don't seem to fit the narrative. Sam Worthington's role, meant to be a lost war baby, seems as though it wandered in from another script. And Ciaran Hinds needs a script where he doesn't mope around like a giant slab of Celtic Melancholy.

Watch Out For: The scene in 1967, in which the team have five minutes to smuggle an ex-Nazi who will not remain unconscious, onto a heavily guarded train surrounded by a barbed-wire fence.....absolutely nail-chewing suspense!