FILM

USA 2011 113 mins Dir: John Madden Starring: Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Ciaran Hinds, Sam Worthington, Tom Wilkinson, Marton Csokas, Jesper Christensen

Back in 1966, young Mossad agents Rachel Singer (Chastain), David Peretz (Worthington) and Stefan Gold (Coskas) were sent to East Berlin on a dangerous mission to capture Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (a suitably chilling Christensen) and bring him back to Israel to face trial. The mission didn't go entirely according to plan, and Vogel was shot dead while trying to escape. That's the official story, anyway. But the fact that the older Rachel (Mirren), David (Hinds) and Stefan (Wilkinson) are looking a tad shifty as they continue to be feted for their heroism 30 years on suggests events didn't take place exactly as described. The publication of a book about the mission by Rachel's proud daughter proves to be a catalyst for the trio to confront their past. David promptly hurls himself in front of a truck, while the now divorced Rachel and Stefan find themselves forced to deal with some unfinished business. In flashback, we learn what really happened all those years ago.

Unlikely as it might seem, this is adapted by 'Kick-Ass' duo Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn from the 2007 Israeli film 'Ha Hov', which was never released here. Operating in much the same territory as Spielberg's 'Munich', 'Shakespeare in Love' director John Madden works hard to balance his duty of solemnity (this is the Holocaust, after all) with the obligation to entertain. The result is a potent mix of score-settling, guilt and moral ambiguity, which is more gripping in the tense period scenes that don't feature its big-name stars. Plucky pensioner Mirren eventually gets to perform some 'Red'-style action, but alas this is all in the service of a rather implausible climax. (Robin Askew)  

website www.seethedebt.com

Opens: September 30

Copyright Robin Askew 2011