The Debt

Funny how a movie called The Debt was made by a studio in debt.

It was supposed to be one of last fall's big Oscar contenders, but due to Miramax's financial burdens, it's now one of this year's big Oscar contenders. With Focus Features now taking charge, let's see how it'll do.

Directed by John Madden, best known for Shakespere in Love, this is a remake of the same-named Israeli thriller from 2007 (in Hebrew, it's HaHov). It goes back in forth in time to tell its story of Rachel (Jessica Chastain/Helen Mirren), David (Sam Worthington/Ciaran Hinds) and Stefan (Martin Csokas/Tom Wilkinson). They're young, in love and in Mossad.

The trio was sent in 1965 to find and apprehend Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christinsen), the infamous Nazi scientist. By 1997, everyone remembers their mission which ended in Vogel dead and gone.

But no one except them know that the official story wasn't the real story. And that has taken a terrible price on the trio.

Both sets of actors, highlighted by Worthington and Mirren, give some great performances. The script, co-written by Matthew Vaughn, is intriguing save for some spots near the end. These spots are the kind that make one say "OK, we get it, move!" Yet, these spots detract from the film only in the slightest.

Put together by editor Alexander Berner, the majority of the film is perfectly tense and exciting. Ben Davis, Matthew Vaughn's frequent cinematographer, is appropriate for its dark subject matter. Both have never been up for Oscars before; hopefully, this film'll change that.

What twists have I been keeping from you? You'll just have to find out for yourselves. It's not an appealing subject, but it's still an appealing thriller.