The Cost of
History. The Price of Vengeance.
By Chris Sabga
Note:
"The Debt" was released on this date seven years ago.
Presented below are my thoughts from 2010, with only a few
alterations made for clarity or to interject my current perspective.
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Release Date:
August 31, 2010 –
U.S.
Rating:
R
Genre: Drama,
Thriller
Running Time:
113 minutes
Director: John
Madden
Writers:
Screenplay: Matthew Vaughn,
Jane Goldman,
Peter Straughan.
Original Film ("Ha-Hov"):
Assaf Bernstein,
Ido Rosenblum
Cast:
Helen
Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciarán Hinds,
Jessica Chastain, Marton
Csokas, Sam Worthington,
Jesper Christensen
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"The
Debt" details the legend of three young Israeli agents and the
dangerous secret mission they risked their lives to complete – or
did they?
Their
names are Rachel Singer, Stephan Gold, and David Peretz. Helen
Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds play the older versions of
these characters, while Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam
Worthington ("Avatar") do the heavy lifting as their
younger incarnations.
This
movie presents an intriguing fictional take on real-life historical
events. It begins in 1997 as a book is being presented about the
trio's exploits. Back in 1966, they were sent to capture a Nazi –
the Butcher of Birkenau – who experimented on Jews during World War
II.
Mirren,
Wilkinson, and Hinds are all fine in their parts, but the film really
belongs to Chastain, Csokas, and Worthington. When "The Debt"
was first released in 2010, I don't think I had ever seen Chastain or
Csokas before. They do a tremendous job. I remember thinking that
Chastain must have been an unknown foreign talent – that's how
convincing she is in this role. Obviously, the California-born
actress has since gone on to great success. Worthington has the least
flashy part, but it's a good performance considering how different it
is from the charismatic, tough soldier he played in "Avatar."
The
dreaded Butcher (portrayed by Jesper Christensen) is downright
chilling at times. At first, he lulls the audience in with a false
sense of security despite his odious character. But from time to
time, his true roots will surface out of the blue, and you won't
believe some of the truly ugly things he says. Even after all
these years, the Butcher remains one of the most detestable cinematic
villains of the decade – because of the root of his evil
comes from a very real and unfortunate place in human history.
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Remade
from the 1997 Israeli movie "Ha-Hov," "The Debt's"
foreign roots are obvious right away from its feel and pacing alone.
Hollywood generally doesn't make these types of films.
If
you still haven't seen "The Debt," do yourself a favor and
avoid reading or viewing anything about it. I went into the movie
almost cold – aside from watching the trailer a few times – and
that's definitely the best way to experience it.
"The
Debt" isn't perfect – for example, I would've switched the
roles Wilkinson and Hinds played – but it presents a number of
interesting themes.
Does
the burden of truth outweigh the legacy of history? Or as
Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman so
eloquently stated, "In a place that’s as haunted by
history as Israel is, can a lie ever really serve to prop up a larger
truth?"
Does
the price of justice come at too high a cost?
And
is it ever too late to seek revenge?
