The Debt Directed by: John Madden Starring: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Tom Wilkinson Rating: R Release Date: December 29, 2010
TRAILER SCORE: 7/10
MY THOUGHTS: The first two things that popped into my head after watching this trailer were: great cast and great music. I have learned to be wary of the music in trailers, as many times that great sound later turns out to have been lifted from some other film, or made specifically for the trailer alone, but in this case, I think it's a safe bet that this is music original to The Debt. With a solid cast of well-knowns (Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson), assuming the story is as riveting as this trailer suggests, I'm betting this will all make for a very entertaining cinematic experience.
Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) makes for such a likable fellow -- he's been hard to miss lately, and his natural charisma speaks as to why. I really dug the brief shot of him, just after his name was flashed on screen. He's got a certain subtlety to his acting, and it plays well, even when taken in snippets. I also like what I'm seeing in the winsome newcomer Jessica Chastain -- I imagine she and Worthington will entertain some good chemistry, possibly mixing up a little romantic tension amidst the throes of their dangerous mission. I believe this trailer implies such, well, that's what I'm hoping for anyway.
The general energy of the trailer, along with the mention of Mossad (the national intelligence agency of Israel), conjured up memories of Spielberg's Munich. Ultimately, I'm not sure how similarly the two might play, but "I've seen something like this before" did cross my mind. But whether I've seen it all before or not, this trailer did get me amped, and again, the cast is a big draw. I'm pretty darn excited to see this one, if I'm honest. Directed by John Madden of Shakespeare in Love fame.