The Debt

[Indoor66]

Has anyone seen The Debt? The advertisements are intriguing. I hate going to lousy movies. I usually wait for movies to be on TV. This one appears to fall in the category of one to see on the big screen. Any comments?

[Jarhead]

Has anyone seen The Debt? The advertisements are intriguing. I hate going to lousy movies. I usually wait for movies to be on TV. This one appears to fall in the category of one to see on the big screen. Any comments?

Are we allowed to discuss the debt in this forum?

[Olympic Fan]

Has anyone seen The Debt? The advertisements are intriguing. I hate going to lousy movies. I usually wait for movies to be on TV. This one appears to fall in the category of one to see on the big screen. Any comments?

Haven't seen it, but anything with Helen Mirren bears watching.

However, very blah review from Roger Ebert (my favorite critic ... sorry, Jason):

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...IEWS/110839999

He gives it 2 1/2 stars -- very mediocre. I see that it does rate a 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn't bad.

For me, I'll probably wait until cable or DVD.

[JasonEvans]

I saw a screening a couple weeks ago. I wrote about it a bit on my twitter feed, but did not bother to post anything here. Sorry. Here are my quick thoughts --

It is not a bad thriller, but certainly not a great one. There are some strong, tense pschological thriller kind of moments, but not nearly enough of them to carry the rest of the film. I had a problem with some of the motivations of the characters. Everyone does a lot of staring, mournfully at each other or into space but you never really know why. I was extremely bothered by the way it wrapped everything up at the end too. Again, the question of, "why did he/she do that??!?!" is never really answered in a satisfactory way.

It had some of the makings of a great film. If it had delved a bit into Holocaust survivor guilt and what it means to carry the burden of avenging/surviving on behalf of a family that has all been killed, it might have really helped with the character motivations and character development. Instead, we get long stretches of the film with people just looking sad and longing and not saying much.

I am quite surprised it is getting the mainstream Hollywood treatment. It feels a lot like the kind of film I generally see in film festivals or getting an art house kind of release. I don't really know why Hollywood would think this film is going to get a large mainstream audience other than the fact that Hellen Hirren and Sam Worthington are in it (though neither of them are the star -- the film largely centers around Jessica Chastain).

I am the kind of audience for this film -- a Jewish film fan -- and I found it underwhelming. That is probably a bad sign.

-Jason "it ain't terrible, but unless you are really jazzed to see it, I think wait for HBO/DVD" Evans

[Indoor66]

I saw a screening a couple weeks ago. I wrote about it a bit on my twitter feed, but did not bother to post anything here. Sorry. Here are my quick thoughts --

It is not a bad thriller, but certainly not a great one. There are some strong, tense pschological thriller kind of moments, but not nearly enough of them to carry the rest of the film. I had a problem with some of the motivations of the characters. Everyone does a lot of staring, mournfully at each other or into space but you never really know why. I was extremely bothered by the way it wrapped everything up at the end too. Again, the question of, "why did he/she do that??!?!" is never really answered in a satisfactory way.

It had some of the makings of a great film. If it had delved a bit into Holocaust survivor guilt and what it means to carry the burden of avenging/surviving on behalf of a family that has all been killed, it might have really helped with the character motivations and character development. Instead, we get long stretches of the film with people just looking sad and longing and not saying much.

I am quite surprised it is getting the mainstream Hollywood treatment. It feels a lot like the kind of film I generally see in film festivals or getting an art house kind of release. I don't really know why Hollywood would think this film is going to get a large mainstream audience other than the fact that Hellen Hirren and Sam Worthington are in it (though neither of them are the star -- the film largely centers around Jessica Chastain).

I am the kind of audience for this film -- a Jewish film fan -- and I found it underwhelming. That is probably a bad sign.

-Jason "it ain't terrible, but unless you are really jazzed to see it, I think wait for HBO/DVD" Evans

Thanks. I think you saved me the price of admission and time spent. I will wait for the TV version. Maybe I can play another hand of blackjack at the Hollywood Hard Rock Casino now.

[Jim3k]

I've seen it. I generally agree with Jason. Mirren is outstanding as always. As for the film's storyline, I think it is pretty good. I agree there are some logic gaps, but overall I'd forgive them. It's definitely worth seeing.

However, if one wants to see a better-constructed Nazi-type film that is current, I'd much more strongly recommend Sarah's Key. There is a remarkable performance by a 9-10 year old actress, Melusine Mayance. Sure, the protagonist is Kristin Scott Thomas (no doubt as powerful as Mirren) who traces the mystery arising from the 1942 French roundup of its Jews, but Mayance's Sarah absolutely steals the first half of the film. The story begins with Sarah's personal tragedy connected to her family's roundup and then follows her escape and its aftermath. Scott-Thomas investigates it all 50 years later and discovers the guilt which Sarah must have felt. Her empathy is so strong she gives up her own comfort in order to reveal the truth--which is surprising, painful and pure. Aidan Quinn is very strong as the descendant to whom Scott-Thomas reveals that truth.

There are elements of Sophie's Choice, here, and I strongly recommend this to those who are interested in the era.

[ArkieDukie]

I've seen it. I generally agree with Jason. Mirren is outstanding as always. As for the film's storyline, I think it is pretty good. I agree there are some logic gaps, but overall I'd forgive them. It's definitely worth seeing.

However, if one wants to see a better-constructed Nazi-type film that is current, I'd much more strongly recommend Sarah's Key. There is a remarkable performance by a 9-10 year old actress, Melusine Mayance. Sure, the protagonist is Kristin Scott Thomas (no doubt as powerful as Mirren) who traces the mystery arising from the 1942 French roundup of its Jews, but Mayance's Sarah absolutely steals the first half of the film. The story begins with Sarah's personal tragedy connected to her family's roundup and then follows her escape and its aftermath. Scott-Thomas investigates it all 50 years later and discovers the guilt which Sarah must have felt. Her empathy is so strong she gives up her own comfort in order to reveal the truth--which is surprising, painful and pure. Aidan Quinn is very strong as the descendant to whom Scott-Thomas reveals that truth.

There are elements of Sophie's Choice, here, and I strongly recommend this to those who are interested in the era.

I read this book and really liked it. Didn't know there was a movie version - I'll have to look for it.

[Jim3k]

I read this book and really liked it. Didn't know there was a movie version - I'll have to look for it.

It's been out since July 22. Not many screens; probably because it is subtitled in part. May have gone by now. Still playing in 5 theaters in the SF Bay area. No idea about St. Louis which you listed for yourself, but the Midwest is unfriendly to foreign films. Maybe an art house would still have it.