LeoGlossary: The Debt - 2010 (Film)
The 2010 film The Debt, starring Helen Mirren, is a complex and suspenseful thriller that explores themes of guilt, betrayal, and the legacy of the Holocaust. It is also a meditation on the nature of truth and the choices we make in life.
The film begins in 1997, with Rachel Singer (Mirren) being honored for her role in a secret Mossad mission thirty years earlier. The mission was to capture a Nazi war criminal known as the Surgeon of Birkenau, who was responsible for the deaths of countless Jews during World War II.
Rachel, along with two other Mossad agents, David Peretz (Sam Worthington) and Stefan Gold (Marton Csokas), traveled to East Berlin in 1965 to carry out the mission. They posed as a married couple, with Rachel posing as a patient at the Surgeon's clinic.
The mission goes awry, and the team is forced to make a difficult decision that leaves them haunted for decades to come. In the aftermath of the mission, Rachel, David, and Stefan return to Israel as heroes. They are celebrated for their bravery and their role in bringing a Nazi war criminal to justice.
However, thirty years later, the truth about the mission comes to light. It is revealed that the Surgeon is still alive and well, living in Ukraine. Rachel, David, and Stefan are forced to confront their past and the secrets they have kept.
The Debt is a powerful and moving film that explores the complex nature of good and evil, and the choices we make in the face of impossible odds. Mirren's performance is particularly noteworthy, as she brings great depth and nuance to the role of Rachel Singer.
Cast
- Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer in 1997
- Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in 1965 and 1970
- Ciarán Hinds as David Peretz in 1997
- Sam Worthington as David Peretz in 1965 and 1970
- Tom Wilkinson as Stefan Gold in 1997
- Marton Csokas as Stefan Gold in 1965 and 1970
-Jesper Christensen as Dieter Vogel - Romi Aboulafia as Sarah Gold
- Yonatan Uziel as Mossad Agent
Director: John Madden
Writers: Matthew Vaughn Jane Goldman Peter Straughan
Box Office Gross: $45,636,368
Distributor: Focus Features
Release Date: June 15, 2011