Chastain is great. The rest not so much.

Jessica Chastain and the scenes in the past with the two other fellas make the film worth seeing. Evolved into silliness towards the end however.

Tries to be Fincher but isn't, and Mirren, Hinds and Wilkinson all have very little to do. Chastain is the best thing in the movie. This--and her fine performance in "The Help"--are so good that I promise to watch anything--excluding superhero movies--that she may do in the future.

The Debt lacks most qualities a compelling, interesting or profound thriller should include. Instead it tosses around loose ideals and themes that never blossom or worse, are readily contradicted. Over the lack of direction and confused screenplay is a brilliant performance by Jessica Chastain, who manages to make the offending two hours passable.

A mezmerizingly uneventful tale that weaves together a series of unspectacular events leading up to an underwhelming ending that had me scratching my ass and wishing I'd watched Jersey Shore instead.

Not bad, but suffers from a serious lack of intensity. At no point does this film become truly immersive, which, for a thriller, is a severe shortcoming.

This film is competently constructed and has the tone of a strong film without the corresponding narrative. This odd combination, coupled with multiple timelines, makes it difficult for the large cast to sufficiently develop their characters. This results in a film that feels both wrote and somewhat distant.

A thriller that is never really thrilling nor suspenseful. It's just there and remains unremarkable throughout. A slow burn that never realizes its true potential. The cinematography however is excellent but does not save this film from being a snorefest. Better luck next time Madden.

The ending was so dumb. For a spy she easliy got her ass kicked twice by the same guy.

This was a middle of the road spy drama that didn't really do enough to be that interesting or compelling of a watch.The scenes in the past are better then the scenes in the present and the young actors do a decent job.

5+ pretty good

This is overall an interesting thriller. The scenes in the past are more interesting than the present scenes. The plot is exciting and there are a few interesting characters in the movie.

I loved the past but found the present boring, Helen Mirren notwithstanding.

weak

In The Debt, I’ll remember one or two of Mirren’s facial expressions, a grave close-up of Wilkinson. In some films, this wouldn’t be the point. Names like ‘Mirren’ and ‘Wilkinson’ would take the backseat to explosives and rambunctious chases. The problem is, The Debt doesn’t seem to have much of a point. [Full Review]

I really liked The Debt. I'm a sucker for espionage films that show how being a spy is not "cool." Espionage is dirty. It's dangerous & can be easily corrupted. The story aside, this movie pleased & frustrated me with its casting. Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, & Jesper Christensen were all great in their roles. My problem is with the young/old casting of Marton Csokas/Tom Wilkinson & Sam Worthington/Ciaran Hinds. The physical resemblance between Csokas & Hinds makes it completely confusing.

I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit.

"In terms of suspense, The Debt is an efficiently gritty saga, as workmanlike in its mood and pacing as its aesthetics are suitably gray and grim." - Nick Schager

Although it flags a little in the final half-hour or so, it's an exceptionally tense thriller that doesn't pull any punches. Christensen puts in an especially memorable performance, but really there's nothing to fault here -- everything about it is far more slick and engrossing than you might at first expect it to be.

There's a unmatched charm and confident quality emanating from Chastain's performances, can't wait to see more of her work and the action is genuinely exciting, at least during the film's first half. The film does hinge heavily on dramatization which made me lose interest quite fast as the film progressed, the plot's ironic denouement didn't do much for me and that casting director is obviously blind.

Doesn't really do anything surprising or interesting. It's true that, as another user mentioned, every scene is milked for as much suspense as possible, but it never succeeds in becoming truly thrilling. It's just kind of there. And the characters are about as compelling as its plot.

very solid acting from the established stars and the relative newcomers as well. the plot was quite believable and flowed smoothly and quickly and was punctuated by some unexpected turns. this film is not based on actual events. however, by the time the end credits started rolling, i definitely had the feeling i had experienced something that had actually occurred!!

Terrific acting, good story, but ultimately comes up a little short.

Great story, not so great movie. Often unrealistic. Note for Americans: Beeing foreign doesn't mean that we speak english with a weird accent. Guess what... we speak on other languages like german, hungarian , spanish, greek, french, Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew etc

The younger halves of the cast are great, and that part of the plot follows suit. However, the inclusion of present day drama belittles the first half of the film and makes for a muddled drama. Chastain is great, and much of the film is beautifully shot.

very good movie 10 out of 10 a great cast of stars and good plot

Good spy thriller with an excellent cast.

I like Jessica Chastain and Marton Csokas a lot, and the movie generates an admirable tension at points. But it kind of fizzles out into a climax / ending that did very little for me.

In milking every situation for maximum suspense (receiving a gynecological exam from a suspected war criminal ranks pretty high on the tension scale) and realistically portraying a destructive group dynamic in a tight situation, The Debt climbs to the top of the recent spy-thriller pile.

A very thrilling and well-acted film.

One of those movies where you both love and hate a lot. Loved: Mirren, Wilkinson and Chastain and the past story. Hated: Worthington (as usual) and the present story. Overall a great premise, but stumbles upon it's own dramatic structure. Christensen's part is easy forgettable, since he never get's to stand out as the monster he is/was...

The description of this movie is much more exciting as it really is. After you have seen the first five minutes you have basically seen al the action. The rest is just window dressing and talking. The twist halfway and at the end is too predictable.

i like espionage, and this one is not bad boring one and worth it!

Pretty whatever thriller, ending has the weirdest "twist" ever. I wasn't bored, just wasn't interested.

limp thriller taking place in two eras; the 60s scenes have more tension and purpose, the present day scenes are flabbier but with more interesting actors. sort of a failure overall

Chastain outshines Mirren by far in this, but the ending could have been improved.

Jessica Chastain put her best on her part and it was nice to follow. The first part and mood was well achieved, but the later part of the movie spoiled the entertainment pretty much.

There's nothing particularly wrong with it, and the cast, except Worthington, is good. But it's just quite boring.

The first half of the movie is greatly better than the second half. The acting by the younger cast of Jessica Chastain and Marton Csokas is noteworthy. Sam Worthington's acting is at par at best. The movie starts of as a good spy thriller but fades towards the end. It would have been better if the ending was different. Overall a decent entertainer.

The film industry needs to realize that Sam Worthington isn't a very good actor. Stop putting him in films, please. The rest of the cast is good. The usually great Christensen has a difficult role to carry. The audience I saw this with seemed to like his performance, one I found lacking in nuance. The subject in mind and a few okay action scenes aside, the film was in general surprisingly unexciting. You can hardly go completely wrong with Wilkinson and Mirren on the cast list, however.