The Debt (2010)

Everyone loves a good thriller and if it involves a heist, a memorable villain, and some white-knuckle moments, it only gets better. The intensity you feel watching The Debt drops a bit low during the conclusion but otherwise, it’s a tight,  exciting film.

The film is split into two parts, the first of which happens in 1965, and the second in 1997. In 1965, Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain), David Peretz (Sam Worthington), and Stefan Gold (Marton Csokas) are on a mission on the behalf of Mossad, Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations. Their target is Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen), a Nazi war criminal. They've got to get close, take him down, and bring him out of Germany to Israel where he will face justice. In 1997, we learn what they told the world... wasn't entirely true. Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson play the older versions of Rachel, David, and Stefan.

What this film does best is offer a despicable villain you can't get enough of. You're disgusted by what Vogel did during World War II, but he has a way with words that almost makes him charming. You want to get a closer look and that's exactly what he's counting on. You don't want him to get away. You want him to get what he deserves but you're in no rush. You want to hear what he has to say next. Marton Csokas is excellent in the role because he plays both the monster and the new identity he's crafted expertly. He switches effortlessly between the two and every word he speaks is an alluring poison.

Add to this the film's central conundrum. Let’s say you found… I don’t know, a videotape of Mother Teresa shoplifting from a dollar store that got swallowed up by an earthquake minutes later. Is the truth more important than preserving the image of an inspirational person if the said image has changed the world for the better? The way the lie about what happened all those years ago has affected the agents' lives since, the way truth can be bent, the way it's divulged - or kept secret by the group - is fascinating. You're not sure what you would do, which is what makes the ending a letdown of sorts. There's no ambiguity in the conclusion and a clean ending is nice but not every time.

The plot focuses mostly Rachel past and present. Her unique viewpoint adds a lot to the story and makes her the most interesting of the three heroes. In 1965, she had something extra to prove. Because she was the only woman on the mission and because her sex was the reason she was selected. Chastain and Mirren have the "look" necessary to bring the character to life and both do an excellent job showing the toll of this lie they've propagated.

The Debt is a thriller that plays better the less you know about it. This does hamper its re-watch value, unfortunately. This just means you'll have to space the viewings sufficiently enough for you to forget some of the details, which is completely fine. Fan of spy thrillers - the kind where we deal with moral ambiguity, subterfuge, and secrecy rather than fast cars and dozens of bullets - will greatly appreciate its twistiness, characters, and central dilemma. (On DVD, Aug 2, 2015)