Secrets have a price in ‘The Debt’

“THE DEBT”

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2010, R for some violence and language

Best extra: A revealing commentary with British director John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) and producer Kris Thykier

THE HUNT FOR post-war Nazis has formed the basis for mesmerizing thrillers including Orson Welles’ “The Stranger” (1946), Hitchcock’s “Notorious” (1946), “The Odessa File” (1974) starring John Voight, and “The Boys from Brazil” (1978) with legendary actors Gregory Peck as the sadistic Nazi and Laurence Olivier the intrepid hunter.

This fictional espionage tale – a remake of the Israeli spy thriller “Ha-Hov” (2007) – follows an undercover mission during the height of the Cold War to kidnap and return a suspected Nazi war crime monster to Israel. Mossad agent Rachel Singer, played by Jessica Chastain during the ‘60s scenes and Helen Mirren (“The Queen” and “Red”) during the ‘90s, comes to East Berlin posing as David Peretz’s (Sam Worthington) wife. They live in a safe house occupied by another male agent (Marton Csokas). A love affair unfolds as the trio prepares to snatch Dr. Vogel (Jesper Christensen), the architect of hundreds of atrocities. In true thriller fashion, operation experiences several hiccups as they try to slip Vogel into West Berlin.

During the commentary, director John Madden explains that Budapest, Hungary, subbed for Berlin since there were sections that resembled the old Iron Curtain. Berlin itself has had such a renaissance in the last 20-years, it just couldn’t work. Overall, disc extras are brief with only two ho-hum, high-def featurettes that include interviews with the actors and the director who highlights the storyline.

Still, the Blu-ray imagery will not disappoint. It provides a cinematic experience with the right amount of natural film grain and deep inky blacks for the numerous night sequences, while the uncompressed DTS HD soundtrack is balanced and active at all the right moments.

— Bill Kelley III

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