Review: The Debt

Central to the espionage thriller The Debt (opening in Austin theaters today) is the notion of physical and psychological captivity. In this relentlessly taught, gripping tale, directed by John Madden, the characters are hostages; one is physically bound by the others, but all are prisoners of their own consciences.

The story of three agents of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad assigned to capture a Nazi war criminal, The Debt opens in 1997, when retired agents Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) and Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson) are dealing with tragic news about their former colleague, David Peretz (Ciarán Hinds). Peretz's fate unearths an ugly history of lies and subterfuge involving all three agents, forcing Singer and Gold to confront their pasts.

For decades, the nation of Israel has venerated Singer, Gold and Peretz for a mission they undertook in 1965, when they tracked down Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen). Known as the Surgeon of Birkenau, Vogel's ghastly medical "experiments" left thousands of concentration camp victims disfigured or dead. By the 1960s, Vogel had successfully hidden his past, working under an assumed name as a physician in East Berlin. He evaded justice until Singer, Gold and Peretz finally captured him in a complex operation involving false identities, kidnapping and great personal risk.

Most of The Debt is a flashback to the agents' mission, with Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington playing the young Singer, Gold and Peretz, respectively. Midway through the film, however, we learn that while much of the official story about the mission is accurate, the real outcome isn't what it seems. To say more would be an enormous spoiler; I'll say only that Singer, Gold and Peretz have been hiding an important truth from their families, colleagues and nation for more than 30 years.

To The Debt's enormous credit, its twisty and often surprising plot is mostly airtight; unlike in so many thrillers, there are no gaping holes or obvious gaffes in the storyline, and little need to suspend disbelief to make sense of what happens. Action fans will find the movie greatly appealing, with zippy direction and plenty of chase sequences, bloody hand-to-hand fighting and intense, deadly mayhem. The tension is endless; although The Debt has many moods, relaxed isn't one of them.

But although The Debt never relaxes, it's far more than an action film. Powerful thematic elements, thoughtful political commentary and great character development balance the commotion and savagery. Again, the central theme is captivity -- and as the story unfolds, the mental captivity far overshadows the physical. Vogel may be bound and gagged in a dingy East Berlin apartment, but his gruesome past is a far more debilitating captor than the three Mossad agents. Likewise, Singer, Gold and Peretz spend decades in an ethical quandary, guilt ridden and living with the fear that the nation that lionizes them may someday learn the real story of their mission.

Also to The Debt's credit, it underplays a romantic triangle between the young Singer, Gold and Peretz that easily could have derailed the entire movie. While the triangle is essential to the story, it never becomes the story. The romantic chemistry between the characters is evident from the start, but The Debt never dwells on it; we learn only what we need to know to explain a few vital plot points. (I'm not really spoiling anything by saying there are no happily-ever-after romantic moments; they don't fit in a film as dark as The Debt.)

In a film of many great performances, Mirren and Chastain shine as Singer. Of course, Mirren long ago earned a place in the pantheon of the world's great actors; her take on the middle-aged Singer is only the latest in a long career of stellar portrayals. While her face barely hides decades of conflicted worry, her demeanor hides the worry not at all. As the younger Singer, Chastain is all bravado, anger and kick-ass, except when she exhibits compassion for those who don't really deserve it. (Audiences introduced to Chastain as the gentle Mrs. O'Brien in The Tree of Life may be surprised to see her in such a brutally physical role in The Debt.)

Christensen also is a standout as Vogel. The Debt holds many surprises, but it does go the expected humanizing-the-monster route with the aging Nazi, and Christensen's unnervingly observant Vogel grasps for any glimmer of understanding (if not sympathy) from his captors and the audience. Of course, he isn't likeable in any way -- but thanks to the subtlety of Christensen's performance, we do get inside Vogel's head and realize that monsters like him are made, not born.

My only criticisms of The Debt are a few lines of clunky, obvious dialogue (the characters sometimes tell each other things they already should know, as if explaining them to the audience) and an anachronism or two in the flashback sequences. (I can spot a 1980s car in a 1960s scene from a mile away.) But aside from these trivial missteps, The Debt is a slick, smart and thought-provoking thriller with much to say about the sometimes fine line between fact and fiction. As Gold explains in one pivotal scene, there are times when truth is a luxury.