Before director John Madden went on to direct the Oscar-winning SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, he directed mysteries for British TV. One of those series was PRIME SUSPECT, which starred Helen Mirren. Now the director and actress reunite to remake the Cold War-set Israeli thriller HA-HOV.
The story cuts between 1966 and 1997. In the 1960s, Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain, THE TREE OF LIFE), Stephan Gold (Marton Csokas, LORD OF THE RINGS) and David Peretz (Sam Worthington, AVATAR) are Mossad agents assigned the task of entering East Germany, kidnapping the Nazi war criminal Dr. Dieter "Butcher of Birkenau" Vogel (Jesper Christensen, QUANTUM OF SOLACE) and smuggling him to Israel in order for him to stand trial. The mission doesn't go as planned and it has ramifications that last the rest of the agents' lives. In 1997, Rachel (Mirren) has a daughter who has written a book about their exploits and she might get called back into duty for something she thought was over. Stephan (Tom Wilkinson, MICHAEL CLAYTON) is a high-ranking government official who can't let secrets leak out. David (Ciaran Hinds, MUNICH) is a shell of his former self, obsessed with what happened in East Germany.
The 1966 sequences make up most of the film and play like a John Le Carre novel. Madden creates great tension, especially with setting. When Dr. Vogel is found, he is posing has Dr. Bernhardt, a gynecologist. Rachel must visit him as a patient in order to confirm his identity. You begin to squirm when she is in the stirrups. With a syringe in hand, one wonders if his questions about Rachel's mother have a dual meaning. When Vogel is finally captured, he is held in a cramped rundown apartment with the agents. As he begins a psychological assault on them during his feedings, he creates conflicts. The oppression is very tangible.
The early scenes in 1997 set up an ominous tone where we know these agents have regrets about the mission. Sex and secrets play a great deal into this feeling. Over time guilt and self-preservation drive their actions. Lies told long enough have a way of becoming ingrained in one's identity. This is a very good thriller, but it also serves as a moral drama. What is right seems obvious, but it's not that simple.
In the final segment set in 1997, Mirren takes center stage again. She shows that her skills as an agent have not diminished much in 30 years. Some moments in this portion are a bit forced and tidy. A more ambiguous ending might have been more chilling.
But Mirren is too good to be dismissed. She brings emotional depth to her scenes as a woman who wants to do the right thing but is torn at what that really is. I loved the contempt she brings to dealing with Stephan. She also looks pretty badass with that scar on her face. Her character in 1966 is portrayed with passion and vulnerability by 2011's major new standout Chastain. Her work here, THE TREE OF LIFE and THE HELP make her an Oscar contender for sure. Her scenes with Christensen's nicely creepy Dr. Vogel are the film's best.
THE DEBT presents a lot of ideas. What is a hero? Does reality match legend? Is the truth harder to tell the longer you lie or does the weight of guilt make it necessary? What are you willing to give up to protect a lie or the even harder choice — tell the truth?
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
