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The Debt

The Debt

Drama · Thriller · 2010

Rachel Singer is a former Mossad agent who tried to capture a notorious Nazi war criminal – the Surgeon of Birkenau – in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. Now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Overwhelmed by haunting memories of her younger self and her two fellow agents, the still-celebrated heroine must relive the trauma of those events and confront the debt she has incurred.

Movie details

The Debt

“Every secret comes with a price.”

2010 Drama · Thriller 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Rachel Singer is a former Mossad agent who tried to capture a notorious Nazi war criminal – the Surgeon of Birkenau – in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. Now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Overwhelmed by haunting memories of her younger self and her two fellow agents, the still-celebrated heroine must relive the trauma of those events and confront the debt she has incurred.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Debt?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Madden

Written by

Jane Goldman · Peter Straughan · Matthew Vaughn · Assaf Bernstein

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren

Rachel Singer

Tom Wilkinson

Tom Wilkinson

Stefan Gold

Sam Worthington

Sam Worthington

Young David Peretz

Ciarán Hinds

Ciarán Hinds

David Peretz

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain

Young Rachel Singer

Marton Csokas

Marton Csokas

Young Stefan Gold

Jesper Christensen

Jesper Christensen

Dieter Vogel

Court is in session

Put The Debt on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.