Great thriller. Anyone have an inkling as to whether Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) lives?
Does this movie have any basis in fact?
First, a quick answer to your question is that this appears to be a work of total fiction. A Google search showed no basis of fact, other than this new version is a re-make of an Israeli film that won quite a few awards.
We went to see the film yesterday, and liked it.
That said, I didn’t love it and I blame the director. This script had a nice combination of story and action, but I think the director missed the boat. As a comparison, The Ghost Writer had an equally good script of story and action, but in Roman Polanski’s hands, it also oozed of atmosphere that made the entire film far more compelling.
The Debt had all the elements, but the atmosphere was missing. Exterior shots were minimal at best. Much of the film was shot in close quarters in small rooms - despite the opportunity to show more of the bleak neighborhoods and period of East Berlin.
In fact, it almost seemed like the whole film was shot in a couple of small sets on a very small back lot.
Also, as was mentioned in a few of the movie reviews, the “older” cast was stellar, but the “younger” cast was mediocre at best. I know it is difficult to compete with those more famous lead actors, but this younger cast was woefully bland without an ounce of chemistry for a supposed dynamic, edgy love-triangle.
The Debt is certainly a movie I would recommend seeing on DVD or on a cable channel, but with a better director and better younger cast, this could have been a really great film instead of just a pretty good film.