Movie Review: 'The Debt'

Rating: 3.5/5
by Brian Kesler

'The Debt' gives Helen Mirren star billing, yet the bulk of the film involves her character as a much younger secret agent played by Jessica Chastain, who is billed tenth. Chastain is a worthy actress who didn't deserve such a blow, but my conundrum is this: Mirren's character in the later stage of her life is the most interesting and complex of the film, yet the most intriguing bits of the plot exist entirely without her. I liked the film immensely, but the disconnect between the 1960s sequences with Chastain and the 1990s scenes with Mirren is a great flaw.


Mirren (Academy Award winner from 'The Queen'), as ex-secret agent Rachel Singer, opens the film at a party in her honor. Her daughter has written a book about a heroic act of violence Rachel suffered and perpetrated. Upon seeing Mirren's scarred face for the first time as her daughter boasts of her courage, we can tell she has a dark untold secret and that, perhaps, this story of heroism is more than meets the eye. She is asked to read a passage of the book. Her hesitancy and distaste at doing so push our curiosity even further. Director John Madden ('Shakespeare in Love') intentionally peaks our interest in an attempt to rally our inquisitiveness. During this party, a suicide is committed which invites our absorption even more. Then, Mirren's ex-husband (Tom Wilkinson with his usual great performance; hardly in the film yet given second billing) shows her a newspaper clipping. She immediately leaves for Turkey. What, oh what, could this secret be?! We are promised so much and gain so little when all is revealed. About fifteen minutes into the film, the narrative stops and another begins. The one starring Chastain (from 'The Help'). I was beginning to think we'd be cutting back and forth, revealing little details as we follow Mirren's narrative in her unknown quest. Nope. The Chastain-propelled secret agent plot takes over entirely and Mirren is forgotten until twenty minutes before the film's close. It's almost like a film within a film. Mirren's satisfies in terms of character. Chastain's satisfies in the plot. They don't mesh well together. It never feels like one continuous piece.

So why such a high rating? The performances are strong (Sam Worthington from 'Avatar' and Marton Csokas from 'Lord of the Rings' included), the editing of certain sequences tight - particularly a nail-bitingly suspenseful scene in a train station - and the story, albeit sloppy, is ambitious. There's a certain villainous character who is exceedingly creepy but, perhaps, two-dimensional. He has eloquent dialogue and pushes the themes of murder and justice. He questions whether a civilized death sentence is any less bloodthirsty than a conscious killing. He pushes the characters' boundaries, particularly Rachel, which provides some wonderful drama. He is played by Jesper Christensen who is billed thirteenth. He nearly steals the movie. Without Mirren, he may very well have. Mirren holds her own even in her unfortunate pushed-aside role. Her success and staying power as the film's star can be attributed to her dialogue and to the way in which she's photographed. It's a haunting portrayal.

The ending to the film will be talked about, I feel, by movie buffs all over. It is a chilling ending that has a misguided use of music by Thomas Newman. It is well edited, but not well conceived given the uneven plotting of the movie. With a little organization earlier in the film the ending would've worked. On that same note, it would most likely have been revised. The ambiguous nature of the photography and editing of the final moments simultaneously combined with the absolute moral theme narrated by Mirren is a perfect example of the skewed nature of the film. Two films really, one within the other. Both very good ... in their own ways.

Review Notes: I did some more research after writing my review. The cast billings refer to the order listed in the ending credits of the film. Whether or not this list was in order of appearance and whether it is the same billing given at the beginning of the film, I am unsure of at this point.

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