Reel Review Roundup

Reel Review Roundup’s Worst Films of 2011

They say reviewing films is like a dream job and a piece of cake. You sit there for a couple of hours with your popcorn and Maltesers and you watch movies all day. Well sort of. What people do not realise is that you have to sit through hours of junk. Dopey dialogue, horrible acting, bad scripts. It can be a tough slog. Here are some of the duds we had to endure this year:

10) Mars Needs Moms – Disney’s misfire about stern parents that are abducted and taken to Mars to rear baby martians. Huh? And all played out with motion capture characters with no facial expressions. Many people thought Cars 2 was this year’s worst animated flick, but at least it was funny.

9) Battle: Los Angeles – An alien invasion in Los Angeles from the point of view of several cardboard cut out military characters. The script is inept, the performances are dreadful (not that the cast had much to work with) and the camera work was headache inducing. Bring a sick bag.

8 ) Love and Other Drugs – This film got off on the wrong foot with me from the get go. As  Jake Gyllenhaal has a quick tryst in the storeroom with a colleague during the opening credits, her phone falls on the floor and auto dials her boyfriend who is in the electronics store they work in. Oh, come on!

7) Abduction – When the first problem of the film is the title, you know you are on to a bad thing. There is no actual abduction in this movie. Oh dear. But that is the least of this film’s worries as wooden Taylor Lautner struggles with laughable dialogue (shouldn’t he be skilled at this after so many Twilight movies?).

6) Larry Crowne – A middle-aged doofus must reinvent himself after being fired from his job. This film had so much potential, alas, Julia Roberts’ love interest is too irredeemably cold and there is a ridiculous finger snapping initiation into a scooter club (?!). There is also the creepy and completely unconvincing relationship that develops between Hanks and a female college students who rearranges his furniture (again: ?!).

5) Cowboys and Aliens – How could a movie with cowboys and aliens be so dull? What seemed like a genius mash-up of genres with talent such as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer behind the scenes, ended up being a complete misfire. Awkward flashbacks and long droll stretches with uninteresting characters. Yawn. Not even the occasional appearance of the surprisingly vicious aliens could liven things up.

4) Insidious – Despite the overuse of creaky doors, floorboards and anything else that moved, this started out as an effective little chiller…until the game of chasy with a ghost child, communications with the dead through a gas mask and silly ventures into another world called ‘the further’ (giggle).

3) Fast Five – The most intelligence insulting film of the year. It has always been a fairly brainless franchise, but this is a new low for rotten dialogue, recycled plotting and bad acting. It was like they didn’t even try. “We know people will see it, so who cares?”

2) Red Riding Hood – With all the reboots we have been bombarded with, I was looking forward to a retelling of this old fable but i was bitterly disappointed. Glammed up villagers, a telepathic conversation between Red and the wolf and a laughable bit of G-rated girl on girl grinding to make a boy jealous. Hopefully the two Snow White projects to be released in 2012 don’t go down this horrid path.

1) Restless – Gus Van Sant tops his Psycho remake catastrophe with this dull, boring, charmless film that ticks all the boxes for quirky indie comedy/drama films. This was the first time I have seriously considered walking out of a film. See? It’s not always an easy job. This filmmakers should have seen Submarine and taken notes on how to properly handle this genre.

With hundreds of films released in one year, to have only 10 duds must be a pretty good year, right? Unfortunately, there were many more. Here are 10 more atrocities that deserve to be named and shamed:

New Year’s Eve

Sanctum

Hereafter

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

The Iron Lady

The Green Lantern

I Am Number 4

Conan the Barbarian

The Rite

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs Evil

Reel Review Roundup’s Top Ten Films Of 2011

Aren’t ‘best of’ lists a hoot?! We agonise over making them, put them out there into the world and other people either love them, hate them or argue over them. Or they remain unread. But that’s the fun of them. It has been a particularly great year for films for this lifelong film lover. I found my masterpiece (you may or may not agree, but that’s the beauty of films, right?), created this blog, and spent countless hours discussing movies with many fellow film lovers around the world on Twitter (you know who you are). Here are my top picks for 2011 and I look forward to reading yours!

10) Snowtown – The story of how a sadistic killer seduced an abused teenager into being an accomplice hit too close to home for some people. It was tough to endure at times but it was chilling and haunting. Not necessarily a film one enjoys, but one you can certainly admire.

9) Tree of Life – Terrence Malick, who rarely makes films, must have had a lot of pent up artistry that he unleashed this year. Not only does he explore the dynamics of one family, but also their role in the universe. For many this would be biting off much more than they could chew, but Malick delivered a beautiful and thoughtful piece.

8 ) Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen at his sweet and charming best – from the postcards shots of Paris in the beginning to the cute as a button performance from Owen Wilson. But there is more here than just eye candy as Allen explores what it means to yearn for something we once had or can never have.

7) Sleeping Beauty – Another Australian film that tested and divided audiences. Far too slow and distant for some, intriguing and fascinating for others; including me. This film played over and over in my mind for weeks after I saw it, as I connected the dots and attempted to decipher cryptic moments. A film that allows its audience to exercise its intellect.

6) Drive – The epitome of cool. On the surface, this is a slick action thriller (and for some, nausea inducing violence) with a sweet soundtrack. But the layers are peeled back to reveal one man’s struggle to hide his violent instincts for the love of his life.

5) Hanna – Take a worn out assassin plot and mix it up a bit with a dash of teenage coming of age and you have Hanna. Not only was the mash-up of genres imaginative and impressively handled, but it was alternately thrilling and funny. Another standout soundtrack.

4) Rabbit Hole – Nicole Kidman makes a comeback of sorts after a string of Hollywood duds with her devastating performance of a grieving parent in a film that does not shy away from the emotional horrors of losing a child. Not exactly the kind of film you settle in with chomping on a box of popcorn, but a moving and rewarding experience, nonetheless.

3) 127 Hours – Danny Boyle takes what is essentially a one man show and delivers it in such an innovative way that the arm chopping scene is not overshadowed. The end result is inspirational (not in the way that we want to hack our own arm off) and James Franco turns in an astounding performance.

2) Another Year – A film that I did not see until it was released on DVD and it had me glued to my couch. While it isn’t a thriller, it had my stomach in knots because of that simmering awkwardness every time Lesley Manville’s Mary (a real handful of a friend) popped up. This is one of the most natural pieces of film making with believable characters and interactions. A rare occasion that you get such a sense of every character that you feel you are right there with them.

1) Black Swan – Nothing that was released after this dark, disturbing and absolutely fascinating film came out in January managed to topple it from my top spot. There was tough competition, no doubt, but for me this was a masterpiece. Natalie Portman was a revelation and Darren Aronofsky skillfully handled the multi-layered material.

Seeing so many films in one year it is hard to make a definitive list – there are several that are really good films that didn’t fit into the top 10 but deserve a mention. Here are 10 more recommended films from 2011:

Senna

I Love You, Phillip Morris

Submarine

Bridesmaids

Super 8

Melancholia

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Attack the Block

Scream 4

Red Dog

Ratatouille (G)

Directed by: Brad Bird

Starring: Brad Garrett, Will Arnett, Ian Holm

Four stars

Review by Julian Wright

Disney’s Pixar studios have had their finger on the pulse of family entertainment since Toy Story became an instant classic in 1995. Their string of commercially and critically successful films has not been seen since the old Walt Disney classics from the 1930’s and 1940’s such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio (to name a couple of very many).

Dreamworks have tried to recreate the same cheeky, dramatic, visually stunning and just plain enjoyable films that Pixar have but always come in a close second. Pixar’s latest box office hit follows a young rat with a flare for cooking.

Remy is the black sheep of his feral rat family who steal food and eat scraps. Remy has an interest in cooking and food appreciation, which he doesn’t get much chance to indulge in when all his family eat are leftovers from the trash.

When he is separated from his family in a sewer, he finds himself in Paris, the home of Gusteau, the only restaurant to receive five stars. Unfortunately the head chef has died and the establishment has lost two stars. It has been taken over by Gusteau’s sous-chef, Skinner, who has sold out Gusteau’s image to sell microwavable food products.

The new garbage boy at the restaurant, Linguini, catches Remy creating a delicious soup that one food critic has the chance to taste and give a glowing review. Linguini is mistaken for making the soup, even though he has no talent in the kitchen, and so the two pair up to continue to create mouth-watering dishes. Meanwhile, Linguini falls in love with fiery chef Collette, who finds it hard working in a kitchen run by men.

This interesting film is Pixar’s strangest film to date but also its most complex. It is very hard to be fully engaged by a film that centres on a rat that can cook and explores the relationship between a man and that rat. Very strange, indeed. Oddly enough, I was more convinced of talking toys and monsters living in the closet.

But this animated film is one of the most emotionally and visually complex films you are likely to see. The scenery is gorgeous and the food looks delicious. The crew at Pixar have captured a nice French flavour with a bit if French farce thrown in and they have created a romantic atmosphere not seen in their previous films.

The emotion behind each character and their relationships with each other is also very potent. Remy’s struggle with his own identity and the subtext of that struggle is powerful and touching. If it weren’t for the head-scratching plot (Remy is also guided through the film by the spirit of a dead, grossly overweight chef), this could possibly have been Pixar’s masterpiece.

As appeared in Examiner Newspaper – 2007

New Year’s Eve (M)

Directed by: Garry Marshall

Starring: Hilary Swank, Sarah Jessica Parker, Josh Duhamel, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Effron, Jon Bon Jovi, Jessica Biel, and many more

Two stars

Review by: Julian Wright

Despite all the star power, characters, sub plots and intertwined stories, New Year’s Eve is as anti-climactic as the night it celebrates. Look at the cast, how could you go wrong, right? Picking up the trend that Ocean’s 11 kick-started, Hollywood seems to think that cramming as many A-list celebrities into one film is a good thing. But a screen full of familiar beauties adds up to very little if the script is limp and the direction lacklustre, as it is here.

On New Year’s Eve, Claire Morgan (Hilary Swank) runs around like a headless chook to make sure the famous Times Square ball drop runs smoothly which of course it doesn’t. Yuppie couples Tess and Griffic Byrne and James and Grace Schwab (Jessica Biel, Seth Myers, Til Schweiger and Sarah Paulson) compete for a cash prize for having the first baby after the stroke of midnight. Energetic delivery boy Paul (Zac Effron) helps unfulfilled Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) through her bucket list.

Laura (Katherine Heigl) struggles to cater for a huge party while her ex-fiance and singing superstar Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi) tries to win her back. Jensen’s backup singer Elise (Lea Michele) gets trapped in an elevator with cynical, New Year’s Eve hating Randy (Ashton Kutcher). Teenage Hailey (Abigail Breslin) wants to spend the night with her friends, against her mum’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) wishes. Nurse Aimee (Halle Berry) stays with dying Stan Harris (Robert De Niro).

 With so many things going on, New Year’s Eve becomes as chaotic as Times Square on, well, New Year’s Eve. And I haven’t even listed every sub plot. The actors aren’t given anything to work with here – just scenarios – so all we get is their charm. But a film cannot chug along on the charms of the cast  alone. We need more; how are we supposed to connect with these characters when their scenes are so short and they flit in out of the film so frequently?

Marshall tries his best – and his editor deserves recognition for juggling so many stories and keeping them coherent – but New Year’s Eve fizzles. And book ending the film with a syrupy voice over about hope and second chances does not make up for script shortfalls and lack of plot and character development. Nor does a highly entertaining (and depressingly the best part of  this film about the biggest celebration of the year) blooper reel during the end credits.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)

Rated: Banned in Australia

Directed by: Tom Six

Starring: Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Bill Hutchens

Three stars

Review by: Julian Wright

While always on the lookout for films that are willing to push the boundaries to terrify or explore the dark side of human nature, The Human Centipede appeared to be the perfect candidate to fulfill my twisted curiosities. A nutty surgeon who fulfills his acts out his dream experiment of  joining three people, mouth to … well, you know. While I admired its originality and audacity, I could not get past the snail’s pace of the proceedings.

Sure it was sick and twisted and rivaled the entire Saw series in its ability to gross out its audience, but once it established that Dr Heiter (Dieter Laser) was a nutcase (which it did fairly early on) and the horrendous concept explained, it was little more than three poor souls grotesquely stitched together. Bit of a yawner, ultimately.

Creator Tom Six does the unimaginable by not only putting the unimaginable on the screen for us to witness (some of the visuals are real humdingers), but to build on the original concept and take the story further with a little post-modern twist. Rather than just a cheap and quick rehash of the first film (or bringing the surgeon back to life, like some absurd soapie cliffhanger rug pull), Six introduces us to another sick individual, one who is obsessed with the original film.

Martin (Laurence R Harvey) is an overweight, abused, ridiculed and disturbed car park security guard. His dungeon-like workplace mirrors his dungeon-like home where he lives with his hateful mother. His only escape (and disturbingly, only inspiration) is the controversial film The Human Centipede which he has on DVD and watches often.

Martin’s sick fascination with the movie leads him to emulate the movie. But he wants to not only copy, but one-up his favourite film by joining 12 individuals instead of just three. Including a heavily pregnant woman. Unfortunately, Martin doesn’t have the tools or the know-how that the fictional Dr Heiter had, so this is more like a down and dirty DIY version.

The Human Centipede films are by no means masterpieces of artistic film making and Six has never intended them to be. Some dismiss them as pointless, envelope pushing trash. Others see them as satirical. They are, however, explorations of obsession – with very extreme examples.

But what is more astounding than the content of this sequel, is the audience reactions at a recent Perth screening – ear shattering applause in some of the most grizzly moments. Maybe instead of debating the content, maybe we should be analysing the reaction. And any movie that prompts intellectual discussion should not be easily dismissed.

Having said that, this was one of the most memorable cinema going experiences I have had. The moans, groans, yelps, cringes and uproarious belly laughs – what a hoot. The movie went so far over the top it became comical, the audience recognised this and were able to have one hell of a ghoulish time. Too bad no one else will have the opportunity to have that experience with this film.

Restless (M)

Directed by: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Henry Hopper, Jane Adams

One star

Review by: Julian Wright

It would be interesting to see Gus Van Sant’s career tracked in graph form. The peaks and valleys would be fascinating to see. After gaining street cred for indie films such as Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho (gradual incline), he hit a mainstream home run with Good Will Hunting (peak) only to follow it up with the critically derided shot for shot remake of Psycho (valley).

His career recovered with the Cannes Film Festival favourite Elephant before he hit it out of the park again with Milk. Only for it all to come crashing down again with the mind numbingly ordinary Restless. This guy either gets some of the worst career advice or he is a sucker for self sabotage. Maybe  he just likes a challenge.

Van Sant plays it the safest he ever has by bringing us the nauseating story of two offbeat teenagers in love. Going down the checklist of how to make a quirky indie comedy/drama, we are introduced to strangely named Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper) who gate crashes funerals and talks to the ghost of dead pilot Hiroshi Takahashi (Ryo Kase). Instantly loveable, right? Not so much, unfortunately.

This outsider finds his soul mate in the equally strange Annabel Cotton (Mia Wasikoska) who also gate crashes funerals. The pair bond over their mutual fascination with death. But as if life isn’t hard enough being an outcast, Annabel has cancer and only three months to live. No spoiler alert required here , this is clearly telegraphed with her extra short hair and some story she makes up about time spent volunteering in the cancer ward. And if you hadn’t connected the dots in the first few minutes, it is spelled out fairly early on anyway.

This could have been a sweet and passable piece of indie fluff about two young kooks and their unconditional love and acceptance of each other, but instead it appears more interested in sending its audience to sleep. The charmless cast have little chemistry or spark and despite the occasional bright moments (which are very few and very far between), are mostly unremarkable. When things start to get heavy in the final scenes, Hopper clearly struggles.

Apparently, Van Sant didn’t catch the fun and frothy Submarine earlier this year, which shot a much-needed jolt of freshness into this indie exploration of the angst suffered by off the wall teens sub genre. Restless really could have benefited by taking a page out of Submarine’s book.

After watching this misfire, one might be inclined to double-check the credits (if you make it that far) to make sure that really was Van Sant listed as director. He may not have always pleased his audience or critics, and he may have made some bonehead moves in his career, but you cannot deny he has always had balls; until now. Hopefully his career survives this valley and we are treated to another peak soon.

The Cup (PG)

Directed by: Simon Wincer

Starring: Stephen Curry, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel MacPherson

Three stars

Review by Julian Wright

If Australian director Simon Wincer followed that clichéd Hollywood saying “never work with animals” , his extensive filmography would be considerably shorter. With films like Phar Lap, The Lighthorseman, Free Willy, Operation Dumbo Drop and several other animal themed projects to his credit, it would appear he was the perfect person to bring the story behind the 2002 Melbourne Cup to the big screen.

While he handles the animal action with aplomb – the thundering climactic race is a thrill – it is the human characters he seems to struggle with. Just when the drama should be getting our hearts racing like, well, the horse racing scenes, there is a noticeably subdued tone that keeps this film from delivering the emotional punch it should.

Just a week before he is to race a horse bred overseas in the 2002 Melbourne Cup, Daniel Oliver’s (Stephen Curry) brother and best friend Jason (Daniel MacPherson) is killed in a racing accident. Daniel, who was on a winning streak at the time, hesitates in the lead up to the big race.

He always knew of the dangers – his father also died racing a horse – but he has made a commitment to Irish trainer Dermot Weld (Brendan Gleeson). With just days to grieve and possibly re-evaluate is career, Daniel must make a decision. He is torn between his girlfriend Trish’s (Jodi Gordon) undying support, his sister in law’s (Alice Parkinson) warning he could be the next to die and his need to stay alive for his widowed mother (Colleen Hewett).

Any Melbourne Cup buff would know how this story ends, but for those who aren’t, we wont spoil it for you here. The point of this story, however, is the emotional journey Damien takes to reach that climactic race and the dramatic goods are certainly there. Unfortunately, the way it is handled could have been more affecting.

Wincer tells his story slowly and simply, letting the emotions speak for themselves. But juxtaposed with the racing footage, it just highlights how lethargic the developments appear. While the script occasionally falls back on cliché dialogue, the actors cannot be faulted. Curry is terrific and not only just his physical transformation.

The Cup is not a complete write off, it will have you reaching for the tissues and the behind the scenes of horse racing is fascinating. But this should have gripped us and having us leave the cinema fist pumping the air, not thinking there should have been more.

The Cup co-writer and director Simon Wincer and star Stephen Curry swung by Perth briefly as part of a country-wide promotional tour. Perched on the seventh floor of a swanky hotel with river views, the pair spent a day doing interviews about the story behind the 2002 Melbourne Cup which inspired the movie. Just a week before Damien Oliver, played by Stephen Curry, was to race, his brother Jason (played by Daniel MacPherson) died in a racing accident. After an ice breaking voice recorder mishap got a few chuckles from the director and actor – I hit play on a past interview instead of record – we were able to chat about the difficulty in getting the movie made and the day that stops the country.

Reel Review Roundup: Simon, going through your filmography, there are lots of animals. Do you have a passion for horses?

Wincer: Yes, I have a passion for horses, I have been riding them all my life and I’ve got a farm. It’s a hobby.

RRR: Did that rub off on you, Stephen?

Curry: Yeah it did, to see someone who is passionate for horses is infectious, it’s a great thing to see and his knowledge of horses is such a massive part of it as well. I actually learned to ride horses up at Simon’s property. It became a great learning curve for me over a couple of years.

RRR: When did you realise there was a story behind this particular Melbourne Cup win?

Wincer: I was out of the country when it happened, I was finishing a movie  in America and a Texas journo, called Eric O’Keefe, who had interviewed me a couple of times, contacted me and said “When you go back to Australia in a few days, could you look into the running of the Melbourne Cup, I heard it’s a huge horse race in Australia and I was just told 100,000 people cried. The crowd went crazy.”  I got back to Australia and looked at the story and I asked him “What do you want to know about it?” and he said “I think there is a magazine article or a book in it.” I said “This isn’t an article or a book, this is a Hollywood movie.” So we ended up writing the screenplay together. Then, after we did the first draft, we had to approach Damien Oliver to see if he would allow us to do this. He said it was an opportunity to pay tribute to his best mate, his brother and he allowed us to do it. It has taken a journey to get it to the screen.

RRR: Did you know anything about it previous to getting the script, Stephen?

Curry: I followed the story as closely as most people. I didn’t know about the racing circles or the extended back story until I started looking into it after I met Simon.  I guess once I realised – even just the image of Damien passing the post and kissing the heavens in respect for his brother – it’s just one of those images that stays with you. But finding out about the back-story about his father Ray Oliver who died in a race fall, I became absolutely enamored by it and really so excited and thrilled to be a part of it.

RRR: Melbourne Cup is a huge part of Australian culture, but I guess a lot of people;e just like the dressing up and having a bit of a bet. Did you guys have to research further into the history of it all?

Wincer: I was lucky enough to be able to shoot a couple of Melbourne Cup days with some cameras, so we knew what we were after in terms of what its like to be there …

Curry: Like the bloke in a dress with a hairy chest…

Wincer: … the guys giving points to the beautiful girls. It’s all so much fun. All the kids in Melbourne, they’re all in their suits and girls are dolled up, they’re all heading off to the races and at the end of the day the girls are carrying their shoes and everyone has had far too much to drink. But it is such a wonderful day and I really wanted to capture that and for those that have never been to a cup, show them how much fun it is and lift  the curtain on what happens behind the scenes. But that’s really background to the story. To me, triumph over tragedy and triumph of the human spirit, that’s the heart of the story, that’s what moves people I think. This background of the whole racing business is fascinating and what that world is like and the discipline required to be one of those elite athletes.

RRR: That leads me to the next question. As you said, it is about triumph over tragedy. You said before the preview, the process to get the movie made was difficult. Were there any points during the making where you both sat down like Damien did and thought “should I or shouldn’t I go ahead with this project?”

Wincer: There was last February, where the last piece of financing we thought we had fell away and I thought “Oh Christ.” I’d lived with this bloody thing for seven years now and dedicated far too much time of my life and turned down a lot of bloody good work just to get this thing done. It became a real passion for me because I believed so much in the story. I rang a friend of mine who is a private investor and said, sadly, “I think that’s it. I just don’t know where to turn. I’m quite a bit short.” He called me back 10 minutes later and said “Mate, I’ve been talking with my wife and we will put up the shortfall.” That was February 2010 and we started pre-production in March. Stephen had been learning to ride for a couple of years at my place with a wonderful instructor and every time he would get to the perfect riding weight, I’d say “Sorry the global financial crisis, sorry mate or sorry Stephen, this company just pulled out.” Poor guy.

RRR: Did you have any of those moments, Stephen?

Curry: Yeah, I’ll be honest, I think it’s a testament to Simon that the film actually got made. Other people would have given up. That is a long time to keep receiving bad news. I lost hope once or twice. I guess it’s so hard to maintain faith because it is such a fickle industry that we find ourselves in, but that’s our own stupid fault for not having real jobs.

Wincer: It does happen to so many films, so it’s not exactly uncommon in our business.

Curry: That’s exactly right. All joking aside, if it wasn’t for Simon, this film wouldn’t have been made. I am very thankful and extremely lucky that it did.

The Cup (PG) released October 13.

The Debt (M)

Directed by: John Madden

Starring: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington

Four stars

Review by: Julian Wright

Director John Madden is not the first (and certainly will not be the last) film maker to bask in oscar glory only to have their career come to a screeching halt with one headache inducing production. After steering Shakespeare in Love to seven academy award wins (his Mrs Brown scored two nominations the year before) he received a lukewarm reception to his following films Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Proof.

But it was the troubled Killshot – a dull action/drama based on a novel by esteemed writer Elmore Leonard with an impressive cast that went through re-shoots, was delayed and then eventually dumped in a handful of cinemas in 2008 – that killed his streak. It would appear he has found his footing again with this sure-fire thriller that explores the bond between people put into an extreme situation and how telling a lie can haunt you – and come back to bite you.

In 1997, as retired decorated Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) are drawn into the celebrations surrounding the release of their daughter’s book about a famous and successful mission of theirs in 1965, they hear news that a fellow agent, David (Ciaran Hinds) has killed himself. The film rewinds back to that mission, in which the three agents (now played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington) manage to find Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen) who is working in East Berlin as doctor.

The kidnapping runs fairly smoothly until the part where they need to put him on a train at a heavily guarded station goes awry. They miss the train and are forced to keep him prisoner in their dingy apartment while they come up with an alternate plan. The tension becomes increasingly thick with Rachel developing feelings for David but sleeping with Stephan and Dieter misbehaving and exploiting his kidnappers’ weaknesses.

But one decision the three make (for Rachel, the decision is made reluctantly) sees them labelled Israeli national heroes throughout the following years. Now with one of them dead and the book about their mission just released, past demons are resurrected and Rachel must finally put them to bed. To reveal more would ruin the fun.

There are so many films that play on the idea of a secret that has been dead and buried coming back to haunt the people who share it, and yet so infrequently do the stakes seem high enough for us to care. This is one rare occasion in which the truth emerging could have such a profound effect, not just on family but on a nation. In fact, it would mean a version of history being re-written to finally resemble fact- a fact that not many people would want to know.

These impossibly high stakes, coupled with some fine tuned direction that keeps the tension unflinchingly high for the entire running time, ensures one nail bitingly dramatic experience. Madden constantly reminds us of the pending danger and in doing so keeps us firmly on the edge of our seats.

The cast is impeccable, with Worthington being the one exception and one of the film’s very few weakest links with his shoddy accent breaking up some powerful moments. While The Debt stumbles slightly in the second half with some clumsy editing – it goes back and forth in time a little too often – it will not be easily erased from your memory. After seeing this thriller, you might want to think twice before telling a little white lie.