''Ha-Hov'', aka ''HaChov'', or in English, ''The Debt'', is a 2007 Israeli drama-thriller film directed by

Assaf Bernstein Assaf Bernstein ( he, אסף ברנשטיין; born 8 July 1970) is an Israeli screenwriter, film director and film producer. Life and works Bernstein was born in Israel and graduated cum laude from NYU Film School. Bernstein began his fil ...

and starring

Gila Almagor Gila Almagor Agmon ( he, גילה אלמגור אגמון; born Gila Alexandrowitz; July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author. In Israel, she is known as "queen of the Israeli cinema and theatre". Biography Gila Alexandrowitz (A ...

, Yuriy Chepurnov, and Oleg Drach, about three retired Mossad agents confronted by a challenge from their past. It was remade as the 2010 American/British film '' The Debt'', mixing the Mengele and

Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ,"Eichmann"
''

(as Rachel Brener) *Yuriy Chepurnov *Oleg Drach *Sergiy Dvoretskyy * Netta Garti (as young Rachel Brener) *Evgeniya Gladiy *Reut Hajaj *Eran Ivanir *Aleksandr Kulish * Yehezkel Lazarov (as young Ehud) *Vlad Levitskyy * Victoria Malektorovych *Sergei Malyuga *Judith Naman *Nadav Netz *Alexander/ (as Zvi) * Edgar Selge (as Max Rainer) *Elena Sikorskaya *Alexandra Smolyarova *Dmitry Sova *Viktor Stepanenko *Sergiy Strelnikov *Oded Teomi (as Ehud) *

Itay Tiran Itay Tiran ( he, איתי טיראן; born March 23, 1980) is an Israeli stage and screen actor, director, and a well-known pro-Palestinian advocate in Israel. As an actor, he is known for his roles in '' Forgiveness'' (2006), '' Beaufort'' (200 ...

(as young Zvi) *Alon Zamek *Arieh Adler (narrator)

Plot

The film is not based on fact, and centers on an Israeli-Mossad Kidon team who in 1964 capture notorious Nazi doctor

Josef Mengele , allegiance = , branch = Schutzstaffel , serviceyears = 1938–1945 , rank = '' SS''-'' Hauptsturmführer'' (Captain) , servicenumber = , battles = , unit = , awards = , commands = , ...

who had performed human experimentation in a German extermination camp. When he escapes from them, they report him as being shot once in the head and killed during his attempted escape. In the following years, the agents receive numerous accolades for their actions, with no one suspecting the truth, but in the late 1990s they learn he may be alive, repentant, and likely to expose the truth of the events.

Cinematic history

The film was nominated for four awards by the

Israeli Film Academy The Ophir Awards ( he, פרס אופיר), colloquially known as the Israeli Oscars or the Israeli Academy Awards, are film awards for excellence in the Israeli film industry awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. The award, named ...

in 2007: Best Art Direction, Ido Dolev; Best Cinematography, Giora Bejach; Best Costumes, Inbal Shuki; and Best Supporting Actress, Neta Garty.IMDb: Awards
accessed February 19, 2011. The film has had no theatrical release in United States , but a version with English subtitles has screened at U.S. film festivals and has been shown on the Sundance cable-television channel. A U.S. remake titled '' The Debt'' starring Helen Mirren,

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...

Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), '' Persuasion'' (1 ...

and

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (born 5 February 1948)Born January–March 1948, according to the ''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is an English actor of film, television, and stage. He has rece ...

was directed by

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pl ...

from a screenplay by

Matthew Vaughn Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond (born Matthew Allard Robert Vaughn; 7 March 1971) is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) and '' Snatch'' (2000), and directed ''Layer Cake'' (2004 ...

Jane Goldman Jane Loretta Anne Goldman''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 11 June 1970) is an English screenwriter, author and producer. With Matthew Vaughn, she co-wrote the screenplays of '' Kings ...

and Peter Straughan. It premiered at the

Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival (french: Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville, link=no) is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Ch ...

on September 4, 2010, and was originally scheduled for wide release in December 2010 until this date was pushed back to August 31, 2011.PunchDrunkCritics, February 9, 2011
, accessed February 19, 2011.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Debt, The Israeli thriller films 2000s Hebrew-language films Films shot in Israel Films about Jews and Judaism Films about the Mossad 2007 films 2000s spy films Films directed by Assaf Bernstein Films set in 1964 Films set in the 1990s Films about Nazi hunters