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The Debt

Play trailer Poster for The Debt R Released Aug 31, 2011 2h 0m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 182 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In 1965, young Mossad agent Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain) and two comrades (Sam Worthington, Marton Csokas) are involved in a secret mission to capture a Nazi war criminal known as the Surgeon of Birkenau (Jesper Christensen). The mission ends with the man's death on the streets of East Berlin. Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has appeared, and Rachel (Helen Mirren), haunted by memories of past events, must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth.
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The Debt

The Debt

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Critics Consensus

Its time-shifting narrative creates distracting casting problems, but ultimately, The Debt is a smart, well-acted entry in a genre that could use more like it.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator It never fully compels or meshes as the emotionally driven, multilayered, grown-up thriller it yearns to be. Aug 31, 2018 Full Review Laura Kern Film Comment Magazine The film delivers both as a love story and as an old-fashioned espionage thriller that no amount of implausibility can spoil. Oct 9, 2011 Full Review Kate Stables Sight & Sound The result is a sturdy, often suspenseful piece, but one that delivers less than it promises. Oct 4, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Given the cast, setting, and heavy themes involved, one could hardly be blamed for expecting more. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 9, 2023 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Not just anybody can convincingly play the great Helen Mirren as a young woman, but Jessica Chastain pulls it off without breaking stride. Rated: 3/4 Dec 28, 2021 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Mirren looks and feels like a woman who has been carrying around the weight of her soul for 30 years. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Sep 5, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Success in 2 hours. Rated R for Some Violence and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/02/25 Full Review Frans B Excellent and very captivating. Stellar and able cast all excels in character. Intelligent and riveting storytelling. Cinematography is just perfect. Real masterpiece, worth watching a couple of times, for sure Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/25 Full Review Alain E An excellent movie about facing the consequences of the Holocaust. Very well constructed, so that the shifts in time back and forth are immediately understood and create no confusion. It is based on a previous Israeli film that I plan to seek out. It handles successfully many important issues. How you treat an essentially political prisoner guilty of horrendous crimes. What type of interactions happen among operatives in high stress situations. How you balance the need to be truthful with political expediency. I found that from the beginning to the end the movie made solid choices and avoided cheap sentimentality or political bias. Available free on YouTube with brief but very LOUD ads. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/16/24 Full Review Anthony W Undervalued performance by Mirren. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/05/24 Full Review Igor S I didn't expect much from this movie but it ended up being a solid one. Has a bit of a depression mood to it but given the subject matter, it's understandable. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Dani G Just OK. What you could expect from a movie like this, but well made Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Debt

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Cast & Crew

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John Madden

Director

Helen Mirren

Rachel Singer

Sam Worthington

Young David

Tom Wilkinson

Stefan

Ciarán Hinds

David

Jessica Chastain

Young Rachel Singer

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The Debt

Sam Worthington as David and Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." (L-R) Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer, Sam Worthington as David and Marton Csokas as Stefan in "The Debt." Ciarán Hinds as David in "The Debt." Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer and Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David and Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." (L-R) Marton Csokas as Stefan, Sam Worthington as David and Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1965, young Mossad agent Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain) and two comrades (Sam Worthington, Marton Csokas) are involved in a secret mission to capture a Nazi war criminal known as the Surgeon of Birkenau (Jesper Christensen). The mission ends with the man's death on the streets of East Berlin. Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has appeared, and Rachel (Helen Mirren), haunted by memories of past events, must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth.
Director
John Madden
Producer
Eduardo Rossoff, Kris Thykier, Matthew Vaughn, Eitan Evan
Screenwriter
Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Peter Straughan
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Miramax
Rating
R (Some Violence|Language)
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 31, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$31.1M
Runtime
2h 0m
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