Climax with Debt

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Issue 4, Kaitlin Cassidy, Movie Review, The Debt, Entertainment - By Kaitlin Cassidy on Thursday, September 29, 2011 - 03:36

An adaptation of an Israeli film, The Debt, has been made for the Western world. The Debt is a post WWII thriller paralleling current events in 1997 to Germany in the past.

The main character, Rachel (Helen Mirren), is being praised in a new novel written by her daughter yet is struggling with her past. The movie reveals the events of the past with Jessica Chastain (The Help) as a younger Rachel.

Rachel becomes part of a Mossad covert operation to capture a former Nazi doctor who performed experiments on Jewish children.

Rachel and her partners David (Sam Worthington) and Stefan (Marton Csokas) venture into East Germany to smuggle the former Nazi doctor across the border. However, their plan goes awry and the following events have a tremendous impact on their life.

The Debt, although in limited release, has been garnering generally positive reviews and I have to agree as well.

The thriller genre has been losing its reputation for a while, but The Debt without a doubt revives the genre. The well casted actors and actresses eloquently portray their characters and their emotions, adding depth to the plotline.

The movie also has one heck of a twist that viewers will not anticipate. Not to mention the heart pounding fight scenes and final climax of the film that will leave them on the edge of their seats.

It is refreshing to have a WWII film that is not your typical Nazi drama since it is set in a post-WWII era. The Debt also allows the Jewish victims of the Holocaust (Rachel and David) to be the heroes instead of the oppressed.

Some of the most notably interesting things about the film are the casting of non-Israelis to play the leads and the ultimate endings for each characters’ story line.

The film also leaves for an interesting dialogue about the meaning of truth and the importance of sharing it. Overall, The Debt is a thoroughly enjoyable film and I would recommend it. - B+