Helen Mirren Delivers Masterful Performance in “The Debt”

| September 1, 2011

Helen Mirren in The Debt

Helen Mirren Plays Rachel Singer in "The Debt"

“The Debt” goes back and forth between two timelines, one focused on a 1965 East Berlin apartment, the other on Tel Aviv in the late 1990s. Written by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan, the film tells of a heroic tale taking place during cold war Berlin, where Mossad agents engaged in a clandestine operation to capture Nazi fugitive Dieter Vogel. Their exploits become the subject of a book written in 1997 by Sarah Gold (played by Romi Aboulafia), Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) and her ex Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson).

Of course no operation ever goes flawlessly, and things get interesting when the kidnapping of Vogel (Jesper Christensen) goes wrong, resulting in his imprisonment in the apartment. As Rachel’s gynecologist, the conniving Vogel tries to exploit his intimate knowledge to gain her sympathy. Rachel and David endure the taunts of their evil captive, and three decades later his memory still haunts them incessantly. The cold war version of Rachel is tamed by three decades of life, appearing more stoic in her later years. The men aren’t quite as interesting, with time doing little to evolve their character.

The film’s moral center is of course the older Rachel Singer who intimates the scarring effect of events suppressed over 30 years. The pain of a decision made decades ago are self evident with Rachel literally bearing a scar from the events of the past. “The Debt” is rated R – Restricted (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian).

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Category: TV and Movies

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