I have a feeling The Debt was made with an older demographic in mind which is great. I went into this completely blind, having no idea what it was, although I did remember seeing a trailer a long time ago. I suppose it could be considered action but also a drama. The story unfolds definitely slowly. I found the pace too slow at times which dragged down the story just a little bit. Even still the performances of the movie and the story itself makes it interesting and entertaining enough.
Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciarán Hinds play the older characters and all do a solid job. I always find Wilkinson kind of dry but Mirren and Hinds boost the cast enough that all three of them do well. Their younger selves are played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington. Chastain is excellent, she is probably the highlight of the time and it is believable that she is Mirren later in life. The same cannot be said for Csokas, and Worthington. They simply are not believable that these two men became Wilkinson and Hinds. But on their own they do a decent job. Both pairs of men as younger and older characters are sort of dry throughout. Jesper Christensen is excellent as the evil Doctor that plagues them throughout their careers. He gives a worthy performance.
Director John Madden is a very English director, having directed a handful of well received films. I say that he's very English because even the style of the film is distinctly English. The content and pacing is always just a little bit different in an English film and The Debt has that distinct feel. I suppose it sort of combined action with drama but was heavier on the drama side. It is worth seeing, some might really really enjoy it but be warned that the pace is a little slow and some of the performances a little dry. Regardless it is worth checking out for something interesting. 7/10
Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciarán Hinds play the older characters and all do a solid job. I always find Wilkinson kind of dry but Mirren and Hinds boost the cast enough that all three of them do well. Their younger selves are played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington. Chastain is excellent, she is probably the highlight of the time and it is believable that she is Mirren later in life. The same cannot be said for Csokas, and Worthington. They simply are not believable that these two men became Wilkinson and Hinds. But on their own they do a decent job. Both pairs of men as younger and older characters are sort of dry throughout. Jesper Christensen is excellent as the evil Doctor that plagues them throughout their careers. He gives a worthy performance.
Director John Madden is a very English director, having directed a handful of well received films. I say that he's very English because even the style of the film is distinctly English. The content and pacing is always just a little bit different in an English film and The Debt has that distinct feel. I suppose it sort of combined action with drama but was heavier on the drama side. It is worth seeing, some might really really enjoy it but be warned that the pace is a little slow and some of the performances a little dry. Regardless it is worth checking out for something interesting. 7/10