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THE DEBT (2011)Movie Reviews
Thriller about three retired Mossad agents who learn that their greatest mission, tracking down a Nazi war criminal, may not have been accomplished after all. Cast:Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Jesper Christensen, Marton CsokasDirector:John MaddenRelease Date:August 31, 2011DVD Release:December 6, 2011From:Focus FeaturesRating:RLength:1 hr 44 min
The Debt (2011) played to good reviews. • James Berardinelli wrote for Reel Views, "I was reminded of how entertaining a well-executed Cold War thriller can be.... The segments that transpire in Cold War East Berlin are by far the most exciting..." • And Alynda Wheat wrote in People, "...a fractured film: Scenes set in the past are taut... The present, though, is toothless, until it throws Mirren back into spy mode." More Reviews Below...
The Debt (2011) Positive Reviews (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a fractured film: Scenes set in the past are taut... The present, though, is toothless, until it throws Mirren back into spy mode."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 117 words, 09/01/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "Classy, solid and well-acted... meaty, intelligent filmmaking... everything about it is so respectable, you may feel engrossed in the moment, yet forget about it soon afterward."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 09/01/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "In a place that's as haunted by history as Israel is, can a lie ever really serve to prop up a larger truth? The movie demonstrates, compellingly, why the answer is no."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 09/02/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...does a splendid job of showing key early sequences in detail.... the film jumps the rails toward the end... the plot has lost its way."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 08/31/11
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "...aspires to pack a big sting, and it works to an extent, but as a whole the picture is too overdetermined and melodramatic and sentimental in spite of itself..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 08/29/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "I was reminded of how entertaining a well-executed Cold War thriller can be.... The segments that transpire in Cold War East Berlin are by far the most exciting..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 787 words, 08/30/11
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...nothing more than a gritty thriller with a highbrow pedigree. But if you prefer art-house action to multiplex B-movies, you can walk into the theater with head held high."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 290 words, 08/31/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a superbly crafted espionage thriller.... A steely Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain stalk its sinister interior, upping the ante and the adrenaline with every twist and turn..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 997 words, 08/31/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "Awkwardly marrying 'Munich'-style moral conundrums with cheesy Robert Ludlum stylings, the slow-paced thriller never pays off."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 09/01/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...chaotic... vacillates between treating the issues and historical context seriously, and as the story demands, as pure, heavy-handed pulp."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 08/31/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...after a gripping first half, turns into one howler after another. And yet it's still gripping.... it sets up one tricky sequence after another."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 903 words, 09/05/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...does a splendid job of showing key early sequences in detail.... the film jumps the rails toward the end... the plot has lost its way."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 08/31/11
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Predictably, the holes in the narrative set us up for a twist or three, but, in balance, it's a pleasure to be back in the wet alleys and spy-patrolled streets of the GDR..."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 08/31/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...superb... a first-rate thriller that explores loyalty, duty to country and self, and the price of deception with skill and razor-sharp precision."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 08/31/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...gets over-busy and tests our resolve.... The direction and performances remain as solid as ever, but they're both growing obscured by the top-heavy plot."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 08/31/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...classic espionage, a taut tale of false identity and interrogation, safe houses, and secret border crossings."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 08/31/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a nerve-wracking and entertaining Hollywood remake of a very good 2007 Israeli thriller.... What really dazzles here are the action beats..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 08/28/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "The plot is a dark skein of unraveling secrets too clever and original to reveal.... runs most of its race at a breathless clip."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 409 words, 08/31/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Put Mirren and Wilkinson together in a movie and chances are you're not going to be disappointed.... The acting is uniformly good, the tension high and the stakes higher."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 08/31/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a potboiler but a gripping one, it leaves you chewing on both its nuances and implausibilities.... an airport paperback disguised as a hardcover... a darn good read."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 08/31/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "See the film, if for nothing else than the half of the picture set so grimly in the dirty grey alleys of the Cold War. That part of the film, the spy thriller, works brilliantly."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 08/31/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...exciting... Mirren shows us the strain of someone embodying the legend while living with the reality, in memory, every minute of every day..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 08/31/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "Madden isn't a born director of thrillers, but the chief interest here is the behavior of two trios of actors playing the same people at different stages in life... fascinating..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 08/31/11
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's Jessica Chastain who gives the film its urgency and its soul.... she has the rare ability to disappear into a character while paradoxically retaining her singular charisma."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 08/31/11
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Predictably, the holes in the narrative set us up for a twist or three, but, in balance, it's a pleasure to be back in the wet alleys and spy-patrolled streets of the GDR..."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 08/31/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "Twisty, maybe a little overly complicated but also undeniably compelling... the rare kind of thriller that's even more interesting below the surface..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 781 words, 09/01/11
Peg Aloi, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a smart, icy thriller.... sometimes feels implausible and overwrought, but the film's taut pacing and artful editing make for a chilling and satisfying spy drama."(See all of Peg Aloi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 09/01/11
Nick Schager, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an efficiently gritty saga, as workmanlike in its mood and pacing as its aesthetics are suitably gray and grim. Its performances are likewise resourceful and affecting..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 08/27/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...accomplishes its mission as a serious-minded thriller, but its story line doesn't resonate enough with the contemporary zeitgeist to give the film a lasting impact."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 451 words, 08/31/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "There are movies you want to like that just won't let you.... ultimately dissatisfying because the alleged heroes aren't really accomplishing anything, not even atonement."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 756 words, 09/02/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: WEAK "...there is an awkward, irresoluble tension between the movie's urge to thrill and the weighty pull of the historical obligations that it seeks to assume."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 09/05/11
Ella Taylor, NPR: WEAK "...drowns the deeper questions it raises in a sadistic procedural, an endless circular motion of fight scenes whose only justification is themselves."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 08/31/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a superbly crafted espionage thriller.... A steely Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain stalk its sinister interior, upping the ante and the adrenaline with every twist and turn..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 997 words, 08/31/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Jordan Mintzer, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...features strong perfs across the board, yet feels bogged down by a weighty love triangle and a subject that merits more than the old-school good vs. evil approach."(See all of Jordan Mintzer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 833 words, 09/04/10
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "The suspense builds nicely... Where the John Madden-directed film gets into trouble is in wanting to deal with the Holocaust without being entirely a period film."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 10/14/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a superbly crafted espionage thriller.... A steely Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain stalk its sinister interior, upping the ante and the adrenaline with every twist and turn..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 997 words, 08/31/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a compelling political thriller that's also effective as a drama about reputation-building and the making of political heroes and myths."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 07/29/11
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "There are movies you want to like that just won't let you.... ultimately dissatisfying because the alleged heroes aren't really accomplishing anything, not even atonement."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 756 words, 09/02/11
15.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Debt (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 15.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Debt (2011) (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Debt (2011)'s reviews cover 95.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,704 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 526 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 59.6 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Debt (2011)'s reviews on average broke 59.6 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Debt (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Debt (2011) (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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