“The Debt” was a film festival hit last year, and was scheduled for a December 2010 release. But studio shenanigans delayed its debut until last week. But even though it hit theaters in the doldrums of late summer, it is a solid espionage thriller. Hear our Labor Day take, which adds up to a Popspotting score of 8 out of 10.
Even the best secret agents carry a debt from a past mission. Filmed on location in Tel Aviv, the U.K., and Budapest, “The Debt” stars Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain as Rachel, Tom Wilkinson and Marton Csokas as Stefan, and Ciarán Hinds and Sam Worthington as David. All three face off against Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel, played by Jesper Christensen.
The film is directed by Academy Award nominee John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”), and the screenplay is by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, and Peter Straughan. It’s adapted from the 2007 Israeli film “Ha Hov” (The Debt).