Film Review: THE DEBT (2011)

Director: John Madden
Writers: Matthew Vaughn (screenplay), Jane Goldman (screenplay), Peter Straughan (screenplay), Assaf Bernstein (film “Ha-Hov”), Ido Rosenblum (film “Ha-Hov”)
Running Time: 109 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Thriller
UK Release Date: 30^th September 2011

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 4^th August 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember seeing a trailer for this at the cinema all the way back in 2010 but it never seemed to appear! It did, of course, finally get a release but was (as far as I know) not all that well received. The trailer had done its work on me though and I remembered it when I saw it land in the TV listings. It’s an interesting film that has both good and bad parts. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

When a Mossad team is sent to East Berlin in 1965 to find and bring back a Nazi war criminal, they begin a train of events that will follow them for many years to come. The team consists of Rachel Singer, Stephan Gold and David Peretz. Their target is a man who calls himself Doktor Bernhardt, who is in reality Dieter Vogel; the notorious ‘Surgeon of Birkeanu’. The action switches between 1997 and 1965 as we are told of the events in Berlin in flashback. The results of these events have long-reaching and very different effects on the three members of the team. I really don’t want to say any more or I may give too much away (and the Spoiler Police wouldn’t like that!).

A very well made film which I found notable for the performances of those involved. With the action being split between two timelines there are two actors for each of the main parts; Helen Mirren was excellent as Rachel Singer (1997) and I thought Jessica Chastain was equally good in the same part circa 1965. Tom Wilkinson was great (as ever) as Stephan Gold (1997) with Marton Csokas doing a fine job in 1965. Finally there’s Ciarán Hinds who did a good job as David Peretz (1997) and Sam Worthington did an excellent job as the 1965 version. I should also give a mention to Jesper Christensen who did a great job as Doktor Bernhardt / Dieter Vogel.

Based on the Israeli film, “Ha-Hov” (which I haven’t seen), I could see parallels with the Steven Spielberg film “Munich”. Surprisingly, there is a long section of the film that concentrates on the events in Berlin which I thought was maybe a bit too long. There needed to be (IMO) a little more grounding in 1997 as that is where the film ends. Having said that, I did find this tale quite gripping with an unexpected outcome. I liked the way certain details were kept from the audience until the action switched to 1997. Over all, an interesting drama/thriller with some great performances; I just felt it needed a little more… Still, worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My Score 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.9/10 (based on 28,779 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1226753/

MetaScore: 65/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 76/100 (based on 165 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 67/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 30,552 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1211195-debt/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Young Stephan: Breathe.

Young David: Here you are a Mossad agent, all those years of training, the highest levels of marksmanship and krav maga, and your first big mission is sewing.
Young Rachel: Black belt in dressmaking.
[brandishing a pin]
Young David: I never argue with an armed woman.
Young Rachel: [stabs him with the pin]

Doktor Bernhardt: Do it. You want to do it... Do it.
Young Rachel: [finishes shaving his neck]
Doktor Bernhardt: That's right. I'd forgotten. You Jews never knew how to kill. Only how to die.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://focusfeatures.com/the_debt
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seethedebt
Trailer:

Film Review: MUNICH (2005)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner & Eric Roth (screenplay), George Jonas (book “Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team”)
Running time: 164 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/History/Thriller
UK Release date: 27^th January 2006

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 13^th May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I am old enough to remember the events that took place at the Munich Olympics in 1972. I don’t remember much detail because I was quite young, but I do remember the news reports and the fact that everything got very serious from then on. This film deals with the aftermath of that attack and how the Israeli secret service (Mossad) wreaked its revenge on those they deemed responsible. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

A terrorist attack by the Palestinian group known as Black September at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 left eleven Israeli athletes dead. A secret plan is hatched and a team of five is assembled to hunt down those responsible for planning the attack. The team is led by Avner, a young agent who’s wife is about to give birth, even so, he agrees to go. The other members of the team are Steve, Carl, Robert and Hans. They each have their specialities and use them to great effect. The group is overseen by Ephraim, a high-up government agent. Their main problem if finding information on the whereabouts of their targets, but a mysterious French group who will supply the information for a price. The only thing they ask is that it is not divulged to governments, if so, they will refuse to work with the group. As time passes Avner becomes more and more disenchanted with the effectiveness of their scheme. More atrocities are carried out in the name of the Black September group and every time they dispose of someone, another is put in his place. Will he see it through to the end? Well, I guess I had better not tell you that or the Spoiler Police (Espionage Division) will be planting a bomb in by bed (again).

Very well made with all the attention to detail you’d expect from a film made by Steven Spielberg. Original music by John Williams was excellent also. The performances were all very good with Eric Bana as Avner, Ciarán Hinds as Carl and Geoffrey Rush as Ephraim standing out for me. They were ably supported by Daniel Craig as Steve, Mathieu Kassovitz as Robert, Hanns Zischler as Hans, Michael Lonsdale as Papa and Mathieu Amalric as Louis.

Although it’s very well made with some excellent performances, it has two things that I found were not in its favour. Firstly, it’s far too long and secondly, the pacing of it is very slow and this, combined with the length does not make for an overly enjoyable viewing experience. Don’t get me wrong, aspects of the film are quite compelling and the action sequences are as exciting as you’d find anywhere else, I just found it a little slow and far too long. Even so, I still think it’s worth a look.

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 110,104 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0408306/

MetaScore: 74/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 198 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 78/100 (based on 304,565 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/munich/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Ephraim: We deposit money from a fund that doesn't exist into a box we don't know about in a bank we've never set foot in. We can't help you because we never heard of you before.

Ephraim: We have 11 Palestinian names. Each had a hand in planning Munich. You're going to kill them, 11 men, one by one. They're all in Europe now. You'll stay there as long as it takes. Europe only, not the Arab countries. That's for us, not you. And not Eastern Bloc. Don't upset the Russians. Who needs it? You'll have no contact with us.
Avner: You're not going to give me any information?
Ephraim: We deposit money from a fund that doesn't exist into a box we don't know about, in a bank we never set foot in. We can't help you because we never heard of you before. You'll do what the terrorists do. You think they report back to home base? They don't. We want them dead.

Steve: You know how to shoot, to assassinate people, right? I mean, you make dolls in a toyshop, and you... you shop for sofas? And you- I don't know what you do.
Carl: Me? I worry.
Steve: [to Avner] So why did they make you team leader?
Hans: Because he really knows how to cook a brisket.
Avner: [starts laughing]

[last lines]
Avner: Break bread with me. Come on, you're a Jew in a foreign land. It's written somewhere I should invite you to break bread with me. Break bread with me, Ephraim.
Ephraim: No.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/munich/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012)

Director: James Watkins
Writers: Susan Hill (novel), Jane Goldman (screenplay)
Running time: 95 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
UK Release date: 10^th February 2012

Watched at the cinema Saturday 3^rd March 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

A damp Saturday afternoon and my first chance to see the latest film under the revitalised ‘Hammer’ banner. Starring Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) this brought out an assortment of youths much to my dismay and, predictably, they lived down to my expectations. I didn’t let this distract me too much from the screen though and we ended up with a pretty decent afternoon’s entertainment in the end. Here’s a brief plot summary before I give you my thoughts.

When a young lawyer, Arthur Kipps, is sent to a remote coastal village in the north of England to settle the estate of a deceased client, he finds a lot more than he bargained for. Grieving himself for his wife who died giving birth to their son, Joseph, he finds a rather frosty reception at the local Inn. The following day, when Kipps decides to go to the house, at the end of a remote causeway, the locals are less than enthusiastic about him going there. Eel Marsh House is creepy and he sees what he thinks is a woman in black in the garden. Little does he know what this will mean to the locals. He is befriended by Daily, a rich man who has also lost a son; Daily invites him to stay with them. Mrs Daily is psychic and is trying to tell Kipps something. As he unravels the story of what happened at Eel Marsh House, Kipps begins to realise that his own son could be in danger, and he’s heading north with the nanny. I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Scary Films Division) will be moving shadows and putting strange reflections in mirrors for me (again).

Really well shot with some very subtle effects; this did impress me, but then again, we Brits are getting pretty good at it now. Now to performances and a word about Daniel Radcliffe who played Arthur Kipps; I thought he played the part well, however, because he is who he is, he comes with a certain amount of baggage. That is, we all know what he’s done in the past and we all know how old he is. The trouble is, knowing this, it made it hard for me to reconcile his actual age with the age of his character and, although he is very good, it kept nagging at me all the way through. Other performances of note include; Ciarán Hinds as Daily, Janet McTeer as Mrs Daily, Shaun Dooley as Fisher and Mary Stockley as Mrs Fisher.

This film has quite a slow deliberate pace that adds to the atmosphere and suspense of the storyline. It also heightens the effect of the shocks that hit you every now and then. The plot is quite grown up and I have heard it said that when they set the certificate here in the UK at 12A, it should mean 12 and no younger and I entirely agree. There were a few younger than 12 in the audience with me today and I can almost guarantee most of them will be having nightmares tonight. On a personal level, I enjoyed it very much. It has be criticised for there not being enough scares in it, but for me there was just enough (given its certification). Over all, if you’re over 12 and like being scared… Recommended.

My score: 7.3/10.

IMDb Score: 7.0/10 (based on 15,376 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1596365/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 65/100 (based on 161 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 63/100 (based on 36,665 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_woman_in_black_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Daily: I believe the most rational mind can play tricks in the dark.

Jennet: I will never forgive.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.womaninblack.com
Trailer: