Images from the premiere of The Debt and the after-party in New York City.

© Photo by Dave Allocca

Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren

(l-r) Actresses Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren, who star as the same character 30 years apart in the espionage thriller The Debt, at the film's NYC special screening.

Image 1 from Submarino

SUBMARINO, a Thomas Vinterberg film

John Madden’s THE DEBT tells the tale of a trio of Mossad agents who hunted down a wanted Nazi war criminal. We explore the stories of the many real-life Nazi war criminals who went into hiding after the war, and the people who tracked them down to bring them to justice.

© Photo by Laurie Sparham

The Debt's Hunt for Nazi Criminals

Rachel (Jessica Chastain) and David (Sam Worthington)

In THE DEBT, Nazi hunters — and Mossad agents — Rachel (Jessica Chastain), Stephan (Marton Csokas) and David (Sam Worthington) track down and capture Dieter Vogel, the Surgeon of Birkenau (Jesper Christensen). The events in John Madden’s film are fictional, but the story is grounded in reality. Only the names have been changed.

August 8th was one (big) day in the life of the film One Day. Our special One Day slideshow follows Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess and director Lone Scherfig from press junket to red carpet to after-party.

New York City Junket

As journalists wait to interview One Day’s Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess and director Lone Scherfig, they can relax with a cup of coffee and a fascinating novel.

In adapting the Israeli thriller <em>Ha-Hov</em> into <em>The Debt</em>, John Madden enters the cinematic tradition of remaking foreign language films for English-speaking audiences. We look at some of the best foreign language adaptations, from transforming Kurosawa into a American western to popularizing Japanese horror.

Ha-Hov (2007) to The Debt (2010)

The Debt with Ciarán Hinds and Helen Mirren (photo: Laurie Sparham); Ha Hov, inset.

When Kris Thykier, one of the producers of The Debt, first saw the 2007 film Ha-Hov, he immediately recognized its potential. Director Assaf Bernstein's Israeli thriller, about three Mossad agents and the secrets they carry with them from a mission in East Berlin in the 1960s, was a compelling movie that had been nominated for four Ophir Awards (Israel's equivalent of the Oscars), but had failed to gain considerable audience traction internationally. “It was a spectacular story, and brilliantly acted,” says Thykier. “I did feel that there was an opportunity for a little more complexity and scale; I saw the potential of making a smart thriller that would be relevant to – and entertaining for – a world audience.” Thykier brought the idea of remaking Ha-Hov to writer-director-producer Matthew Vaughn, who in turn penned a screenplay adaptation with his writing partner, Jane Goldman, and then brought John Madden on board to direct the film. And thus, The Debt came into existence. Madden's smart, engaging movie is part of a tradition of high quality remakes. In following slideshow, we look at some remarkable examples of this genre, from John Sturges' 1960 The Magnificent Seven all the way up to Matt Reeves' Let Me In, by way of such diverse treats as Blake Edwards' cross-dressing musical Victor Victoria and Martin Scorsese's tough crime thriller The Departed.