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The Debt

Play trailer Poster for The Debt R 2011 2h 0m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 182 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In 1965, young Mossad agent Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain) and two comrades (Sam Worthington, Marton Csokas) are involved in a secret mission to capture a Nazi war criminal known as the Surgeon of Birkenau (Jesper Christensen). The mission ends with the man's death on the streets of East Berlin. Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has appeared, and Rachel (Helen Mirren), haunted by memories of past events, must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth.
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The Debt

The Debt

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Critics Consensus

Its time-shifting narrative creates distracting casting problems, but ultimately, The Debt is a smart, well-acted entry in a genre that could use more like it.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 08/31/2018
It never fully compels or meshes as the emotionally driven, multilayered, grown-up thriller it yearns to be. Go to Full Review Laura Kern Film Comment Magazine 10/09/2011
The film delivers both as a love story and as an old-fashioned espionage thriller that no amount of implausibility can spoil. Go to Full Review Kate Stables Sight & Sound 10/04/2011
The result is a sturdy, often suspenseful piece, but one that delivers less than it promises. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 03/09/2023
2.5/4
Given the cast, setting, and heavy themes involved, one could hardly be blamed for expecting more. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 12/28/2021
3/4
Not just anybody can convincingly play the great Helen Mirren as a young woman, but Jessica Chastain pulls it off without breaking stride. Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/05/2020
3.0/4.0
Mirren looks and feels like a woman who has been carrying around the weight of her soul for 30 years. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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L J @Cracky Jun 20 Full of espionage and intrigue! See more Young S. @YoungStevie Jun 13 Very well made well acted film, with an outstanding cast. Flashbacks can get somewhat distracting especially with such a great cast but still worth the time. See more Stephen C @bob25009 06/02/2025 Success in 2 hours. Rated R for Some Violence and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Frans B @FransB 04/17/2025 Excellent and very captivating. Stellar and able cast all excels in character. Intelligent and riveting storytelling. Cinematography is just perfect. Real masterpiece, worth watching a couple of times, for sure See more Alain E @AlainE 12/16/2024 An excellent movie about facing the consequences of the Holocaust. Very well constructed, so that the shifts in time back and forth are immediately understood and create no confusion. It is based on a previous Israeli film that I plan to seek out. It handles successfully many important issues. How you treat an essentially political prisoner guilty of horrendous crimes. What type of interactions happen among operatives in high stress situations. How you balance the need to be truthful with political expediency. I found that from the beginning to the end the movie made solid choices and avoided cheap sentimentality or political bias. Available free on YouTube with brief but very LOUD ads and now on Prime as well. See more Anthony W @RT86715770 03/05/2024 Undervalued performance by Mirren. See more Read all reviews
The Debt

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Cast & Crew

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John Madden

Director

Helen Mirren

Rachel Singer

Sam Worthington

Young David

Tom Wilkinson

Stefan

Ciarán Hinds

David

Jessica Chastain

Young Rachel Singer

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The Debt

Sam Worthington as David and Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." (L-R) Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer, Sam Worthington as David and Marton Csokas as Stefan in "The Debt." Ciarán Hinds as David in "The Debt." Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer and Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David and Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." (L-R) Marton Csokas as Stefan, Sam Worthington as David and Jessica Chastain as Rachel Singer in "The Debt." Sam Worthington as David in "The Debt." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1965, young Mossad agent Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain) and two comrades (Sam Worthington, Marton Csokas) are involved in a secret mission to capture a Nazi war criminal known as the Surgeon of Birkenau (Jesper Christensen). The mission ends with the man's death on the streets of East Berlin. Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has appeared, and Rachel (Helen Mirren), haunted by memories of past events, must return to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth.
Director
John Madden
Producer
Matthew Vaughn, Eduardo Rossoff, Kris Thykier, Eitan Evan
Screenwriter
Jane Goldman, Peter Straughan
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Miramax
Rating
R (Some Violence|Language)
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 31, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$31.1M
Runtime
2h 0m