Review: The Debt

[Editor's note] Disclaimer: I happen to think Helen Mirren should be in every film ever made. I've loved her in everything she's done and would blindly follow her into any crazy endeavor she sets her sights on. And believe me, the woman has done crazy.

Well this weekend I went to go see her be brilliant yet again in The Debt. The film centers on 3 Israeli agents bent on bringing an old Nazi war criminal to justice. From IMdB: The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished - or was it?

The film is as gripping as it sounds. It shines brightest during the scenes between the Jewish agents and the captured Nazi. The so-called "Surgeon of Birkenau", who tortured victims in medical experiments during the Nazi regime in Germany, lost none of his viciousness in the years following the Jewish liberation. The things he said and did, even as an old man at the mercy of Jewish captors, were truly chilling. It was the kind of deep-seeded hatred that proved how virulently despicable the Third Reich was.

All this typed; I must admit to feeling a little cheated out of Helen Mirren. As most of the film takes place in the past, Mirren is largely absent from the screen. Yes, she looked fabulous with that scar on her cheek. Yes, she delivered an uncompromising piece of acting. Yes, she was an awesome Jewish assassin. Yes, her character’s internal conflicts were bubbling over. But Mirren herself was relegated only to opening and closing the film. That’s not to besmirch Chastain or the other young actors. They were impressively good. That Sam Worthington especially surprised me with his portrayal of the strong, silent, honorable agent.

But as far as Mirren films go, this one lacked a whole lotta Helen.

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