The Debt

Films about the Second World War have always interested me, not so much the battles, but more the way that it completely changed people's lives. From Schindler's List to Downfall to The Pianist; this particular period in world history has been well served. The Debt is slightly different as it is about Nazi-hunters working for the Israeli Intelligence Agency, Mossad.

The story is based in two time periods, 1966 and 1997. We are first shown the main characters in 1997, as Rachel (Helen Mirren) is participating in book launch about her story as a Nazi-hunter. She is asked to read out a passage from the book (written by her daughter Sarah) and there is a flashback to 1966, where the young Rachel (Jessica Chastain) arrives in East Berlin to meet with David (Sam Worthington) and Stefan (Marton Csokas).

They are on a mission to capture Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen) – infamously known as "The Surgeon of Birkenau" for his medical experiments on Jews during World War II – and bring him to Israel to face justice. Alongside working on the mission, there is a growing sexual tension between the three main characters that leads to further complications down the line.

Vogel is working as a gynaecologist and fertility expert, therefore it falls on Rachel as the person who has to entrap him. The plan initially works and the doctor is captured, but then two incidences mean that a cover-up is necessary.

Back to 1997, the consequences of the cover-up become more and more difficult for David (Ciarán Hinds) to deal with which leads to Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) and Rachel being torn between leaving the past where it is or telling the truth.

This is a very, very interesting story and all of the actors do a really stirling job; the script is quite tight and there are very few lulls in this film. Some reviewers have pointed out that the older cast members bear no resemblance to their younger counterparts - personally, this isn't an issue for me at all.

However the film really does stretch the bounds of credibility in the final 30 minutes. The only thing that keeps it from turning into a farce is the great acting from Mirren. It really is a shame as the 1966 segments are engaging, tense and brilliantly done.

Verdict: Really interesting story, but the last few scenes are unconvincing and would be seen as laughable if it wasn't for the quality of Mirren. However, the story and the excellent acting makes the film watchable, but only if you can get over the last 30 minutes.