The
Debt
Movie Quotes:
Brooding and Morally Complex
(Total Quotes: 48)
This is a tragic, thoughtful and morally complex movie and it's all embodied in The Debt movie quotes. The story is an engaging espionage thriller that presents the audience with a moral dilemma, analyzing the implications of heroism and its oppressive weight and the price that comes with burying the truth. It boils down to the importance of facing up to what one can and can't live with, and taking action to set matters right. Overall this is an intelligent spy thriller with a good amount of depth to the characters and superb performances with perhaps the main flaw being that the story dragged way longer than it needed to be.
Directed by: John Madden
Written by:
Matthew Vaughn (screenplay)
Jane Goldman (screenplay)
Peter Straughan (screenplay)
Assaf Bernstein (film "Ha-Hov")
Ido Rosenblum (film "Ha-Hov")
Starring:
Helen Mirren - Rachel Singer
Tom Wilkinson - Stephan Gold
Ciarán Hinds - David Peretz
Romi Aboulafia - Sarah Gold
Jessica Chastain - Young Rachel
Marton Csokas - Young Stephan
Sam Worthington - Young David
Jesper Christensen - Doktor Bernhardt / Dieter Vogel
Brigitte Kren - Frau Bernhardt / Nurse
Tomer Ben David - Sarah's Husband
Ohev Ben David - Sarah's Son
Jonathan Uziel - Mossad Agent
Eli Zohar - Stephan's Driver
Irén Bordán - Seminar Moderator
Melinda Korcsog - Young Sarah
The
Debt Quotes
Part
1 | 2
[addressing
the audience at the conference]
Sarah
Gold:
We should never forget how young they were. My father, Stephan Gold,
was the youngest unit commander in Mossad. David Peretz had his twenty
ninth birthday while on the mission. When my mother crossed through the
check point into Soviet controlled East Berlin, she was only
twenty five. They had the courage to confront an unimaginable
evil. A man who's sadistic experiments left thousands disfigured or
dead. Who became known by a name which defiled the annals of medicine.
The surgeon of Birkenau.[continuing her speech at the conference]
Sarah Gold: Their mission had been to capture him and return him to Israel to stand trial. Instead it ended on the streets of East Berlin. These three dared to relieve Israel's greatest nightmare, her greatest pain. And in the simple act of facing the monster, they helped to vanquish it. This book is dedicated to my inspiration, my mother, Rachel Singer.
[the audience claps for Rachel, who is in the audience listening]
Sarah Gold: Mother. Mother I'm so very proud to be your daughter
Party Guest: You must be very proud.
Rachel Singer: Yes, I am. It's a great achievement. I'm very proud of her.
Party Guest: And I'm sure you were invaluable in the research.
Sarah Gold: Actually, my mother withstood all interrogation. My father was the talker. I'm the only journalist in Israel she won't speak to.
[at the party Rachel reads an excerpt from her daughter's book]
Rachel Singer: On the evening of the 1st of December, it began to rain more heavily. So isolated had they become from the outside world, that it was only when she looked out of the window that Rachel remembered that it was New Years Eve. There were fireworks in the sky and everyone else was....
[her voice fades as she remembers what really happened that night in 1965]
Rachel Singer: What's so important? Where are we going?
Stephan Gold: We're going to David's apartment.
Rachel Singer: David?
Stephan Gold: I know he came to see you yesterday.
Rachel Singer: What's this? The jealous ex-husband or the intelligence officer?
Stephan Gold: What did he want?
Rachel Singer: He told me that he'd been traveling, that he'd been teaching. We spoke for a few minutes and then I had to go. I...
[she doesn't finish her sentence and turns to look at him]
Stephan Gold: If you don't believe me, ask him yourself.
[Stephan is silent and Rachel realizes that David is dead]
[back in 1965; referring to Rachel who's posing as David's wife for the mission]
Young Stephan: What do you think of your new wife?
Young David: She's too young.
Young Stephan: Very pretty. You didn't noticed. You know what I have noticed? You don't notice women. You don't notice them. How long have I known you?
Young David: I don't know.
Young Stephan: Two years. All the places we've been to, you never look at women. Is there anything you have to tell me before I get into that bed?
[Rachel comes out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel and David gives her a look]
Young Stephan: I think you just noticed.
[Rachel is sparring with David as Stephan discusses her cover story]
Young Stephan: Where do you come from?
Young Rachel: Argentina.
Young Stephan: Really? Where abouts?
Young Rachel: Cordoba.
Young Stephan: What were you doing there?
Young Rachel: My husband is an industrial chemist.
[to David]
Young Stephan: You don't look like a chemist.
[Stephan takes over sparring with Rachel still interrogating her cover story]
Young Stephan: What were you doing before then?
Young Rachel: Before Argentina we lived in Hungary. Where my husband studied Chemistry.
Young Stephan: In Mossad, what did you do?
Young Rachel: Liaison.
Young Stephan: And what did you in liaison?
Young Rachel: Translator.
Young Stephan: Translator? You're first time in the field ?
[he goes to hit her but she catches his arm and makes him fall to the ground]
Young Stephan: Good! That's good.
Young David: Welcome to the mission.
[showing David and Rachel the map of the transit system]
Young Stephan: The West Berlin transit system. When the wall was built, some stations ended up on the wrong side, in the Eastern sector. They're closed and guarded by soldiers. They will shoot to kill to prevent any escape. This is where we get him out.
[Rachel is listening to the plan of capturing Vogel]
Young David: The station is guarded at all times and the stairs to the platform are
Young Stephan: The last two carriages will be around here. They will be empty.
[points to the map]
Young Stephan: Once the train has stopped, the guards won't be able to see this fence or anything that happens beyond it. And on the other side of the fence is a postal depot, the vans come and go all day long. With one more can with one more parcel.
Young David: And once we're west Berlin we'll be transported onto they're base and private chartered to Israel.
Young Stephan: That's the wrapping. Now all we need is the present.
[as he's trying on the shirt Rachel has sewed for him]
Young Stephan: You are a Mossad agent, all those years of training, highest level of marksmanship in krav magah and your first big mission is sewing.
Young Rachel: Black belt in dress making.
[holding a needle in her hand]
Young Stephan: I never argue with an armed woman.
[referring to the unappetizing looking meal David has put in front of them]
Young Rachel: What is it?
Young David: It doesn't have a name.
Young Stephan: Shit.
Young David: Well, now it does.
[they laugh]
Young David: Today is my birthday.
[celebrating David's birthday at a bar]
Young Rachel: You're twenty nine? In your twenties you are to pursue your life's goals.
Young Stephan: What are you pursuing, Rachel?
Young Rachel: I don't know. I'm waiting to find out.
Young Stephan: Youth!
Young Rachel: What about you, old man? Have you got a goal?
Young Stephan: Yes, we believe in goals in my family. We're very driven men. My father was the Director of Collections by the time he was fifty.
Young Rachel: So, what's your goal?
Young Stephan: Director of Collection by forty.
[Stephan and Rachel laugh]
Young Rachel: What about you, David? What life goal are you pursuing?
Young David: This is it.
Young Rachel: This is it? This is all you want? No, tell me what do you want out of life?
Young David: I want to kill Vogel. I want him to be put on trial and I want the world to watch, so everyone knows what he did. I want them all to know the truth. And I want another drink.
[David gets up to get another drink]
Young Stephan: Forget about it.
Young Rachel: Forget about what?
Young Stephan: I spent two years with him and I don't know him. Nobody knows him. He's alone.
Young Rachel: What about family?
[Stephan doesn't reply and Rachel realizes what this means]
Young Rachel: All of them?
Young Stephan: All of them. Maybe it's not always a blessing to survive.
[as he's brushing Rachel after she's gotten out of the shower]
Young David: It's a brave thing you're doing.
Young Rachel: I'm not brave. I'm terrified.
Young David: But you're doing it anyway because you know how important it is.
Young Rachel: David.
[they stare at each other and lean in to kiss but David pulls away]
[after their mission goes wrong when Vogel wakes up and gives their presence away at the train station]
Young Stephan: Is he dead?
Young David: Who?
Young Rachel: No.
Young Stephan: How did Vogel come round? How the fuck did that happen? You gave him the full injection?
Young Rachel: I...
Young Stephan: Did you give him the full injection?
Young Rachel: I don't know! I thought I did!
Young Stephan: We failed our mission.
Young David: It's not over.
Young Stephan: We failed our country! We failed our families!
Young David: We still have him! It's not over! We still have him!
Young Rachel: You made contact? Is there a plan? What did they say?
Young Stephan: It's gonna take time.
Young David: They need to open up a new route. They need to find political help. They're going to try the Americans. So, we work in shifts guarding him. We feed him at the end of each shift. We take him back alive.
[to Rachel]
Young Stephan: You've been seen. You don't leave the house.
Young David: We can do this. We'll take him back to Israel. We'll show the world what he did.
[after Rachel has fed Vogel, it's clear that he's been talking to Rachel]
Young Stephan: You can't talk to him.
Young Rachel: I didn't say anything.
Young Stephan: You can't listen to him.
Young Rachel: I know.
Young Stephan: I'm not angry, I'm just telling you we don't talk to him, we don't listen to him. He's in there.
[pointing to his head]
Young Stephan: He isn't a human being. We've been given a date. Ten days time, the Americans are going to help.
[as Rachel is feeding Vogel and he continues to talk to her to get into her head]
Vogel: You should try lemons, for the morning sickness. They say it helps.
[Rachel stares at him]
Vogel: What's your name? Hannah? Sara? Rachel? Esther? You Jews stay close to your roots, don't you? It's a good thing. Very good.
[Rachel shovels more food into his mouth]
Vogel: I understand you perfectly. You weren't lying at the clinic when you told me about your mother, were you? About her death. I'm very sorry for your loss.
[this comment brings tears into Rachel's eyes and she gets up and leaves as David comes into the room]
Young David: What happened?
Young Rachel: Nothing. Nothing.
Young David: What's the matter?
Young Rachel: He can understand us.
Young David: What?
Young Rachel: He just spoke to me. He knows what we're saying, what we're thinking.
Young David: It's alright. This will be over soon.
Young Rachel: Why didn't you go? In the station, you could have got away. Why didn't you?
[David grabs her face and kisses her, as they are passionately kissing Stephan interrupts them]
[after Stephan has interrupted them kissing]
Young Rachel: What did they say?
Young Stephan: It's not happening.
Young David: What does that mean?
Young Stephan: The Americans have pulled out. Has he been fed?
Young Rachel: Oh, God!
Young Stephan: Did you feed him?
Young Rachel: We just need to get him to the airbase. There must be some way!
Young David: She's upset. He...
Young Stephan: I'm talking to her! Supposedly it's her shift now. But instead of doing what she's supposed to be doing, she's out here with you. Now, answer the fucking question! Did you feed him?
Young Rachel: Yes, I fed him!
Young Stephan: There's no plan. There's no fucking plan! The police are everywhere, they're searching houses! We killed a man and now the Americans want to pull out. They won't have anything to do with us. It's a fucking mess and they're backing away from it as quickly as they can!
Young Rachel: No! They can't leave us!
Young Stephan: Yes, they can because we fucked it up. We fucked it all up! And now we're all on our own.
Young Rachel: No!
[after they hear a knock on they're door]
Young Stephan: If it's them, he dies.
[he gets his gone from his coat and David follows him]
Young Stephan: Move! If it's them, he's not getting away. Move.
Young David: This isn't the mission.
Young Stephan: Move!
[Stephan walks over to Vogel and points his gun at him]
Young David: This isn't what we came for.
[David holds his hand up to stop Stephan from killing Vogel]
Young Stephan: I decide what the mission is.
Young David: We're finishing this.
Young Stephan: Get out of the fucking way!
[Rachel answers the door and walks back to Stephan and David]
Young Rachel: It was the lady from the basement apartment. She invited us to a New Years Eve party
Young David: We'll get out. We'll come up with another plan.
[referring to sack that Stephan had put on Vogel's head]
Young David: What are you doing?
Young Stephan: It's your shift.
[to Rachel]
Young David: Did you know about this?
[holds up the sack that was on Vogel's head]
Young Rachel: About what?
Young David: His mouth's taped. You want him to suffocate?
Young Stephan: I was sick of seeing his face. Go back in there.
Young David: You don't do it again.
Young Stephan: You don't give orders, David. It's your shift now. So go back in there. Hmm, come on...
[Stephan gently pushes David and he lashes out hitting Stephan and suddenly they start fighting]
Young Rachel: Stop it!
Young David: We're not animals. You remember what we are. You remember what we're not.
[as David is feeding Vogel]
Vogel: Thank you, David. If I had a choice, I would prefer Rachel to feed me. So
[David stares at him in shock]
Vogel: You didn't know? And you're not the father? I thought it would be you. I thought...I don't know. The way you look at her. The way she looks at you. That must be hard. I wouldn't have taken Stephan as a family man. Too ambitious, too...I don't know. But it's you, David. I see you with children.
Young David: Shut up!
Vogel: I'm expressing my sympathy for your suffering.
Young David: What does a monster like you know about suffering?
Vogel: I'm a doctor, David.
Young David: You blind children, trying to change the color of their eyes. You inject people with petrol. You replace the hands and legs and you watch as they... This isn't medicine, this is sickness. This is disease.
Vogel: So, we were all insane? Is that the answer?
Young David: But there is no answer. I'm not looking for...
[David doesn't finish but goes to feed Vogel and he notices David's hand is shaking]
Vogel: You're trembling. I think you're the one that is afraid, David. Afraid of the monster.
[David stares at Vogel, and Vogel pulls himself closer trying to scare David]
Vogel: Booh!
[to David as he stares at him]
Vogel: Why did you think it was so easy to exterminate your people? You're weakness. I saw it. Everyday I saw it. Everyone of them thinking only of how to avoid being flogged or kicked or killed. Everyone thinking only of themselves. Why do you think it only took four soldiers to lead a thousand people to the gas chambers? Because not one out of thousands had the courage to resist. Not one would sacrifice himself! Not even when we took they're children away! So I knew then, that you people had no right to live! You had no right...
[David suddenly smashes the bowl into Vogel's face and punches him again and again]
[after Vogel has freed himself and has beaten Rachel and escaped]
Young Stephan: Nothing! Not a trace. Nothing at all. He might go the house.
Young David: He's not going to the house! He's gone! Fifteen years it took to find him. He's gone and no one's ever going to find him again.
Young Stephan: So we what? Are you going to make the phone call? Are you going to tell them how he got hold of a fucking piece of broken bowl! Wonderful! Well, don't try and take me down with you. I've done nothing wrong! Remember that. This is never going to go away!
Young Rachel: It's my fault. It was my shift.
Young David: This happened because of me. I let him go. No one's ever going to find him again.
Young Stephan: No one's ever going to find him again.
Young Stephan: What if he didn't escape?
Young Rachel: What are you talking about?
Young Rachel: No.
Young Stephan: Nobody needs to know what happened.
Young Rachel: He escaped.
Young Stephan: That's the truth. But that doesn't have to be the truth if we take home. The truth can be anything we want it to be. The truth is Vogel tried to escape, you struggled with him and got hurt. The truth is, seconds before he got away, Rachel go the gun and shot him. The truth is we got rid of him. Got rid of the body. Got rid of every trace of the Surgeon of Birkenau.
Young Rachel: We can't lie about this!
Young Stephan: No, you know what? We have to. We have to! This isn't about us. This is about Israel. This is a national humiliation! We can't be seen to fail! And in the end Vogel rots away his life in some jungle, always looking over his shoulder, waiting for a bullet. Who's to say? Maybe that's a worse fate. Maybe, that the important thing is just...justice is seen to be done.
Young David: He's gone. What does it matter? He's gone.
Young Stephan: He's right. It makes no difference. No difference. All we have to agree is that we never talk this, no matter what happens. We never tell anyone. The truth stays in this room, between us. Agreed?
[Rachel and David don't reply]
Young Stephan: Say it. I need to hear you say it. Say it.
Young David: Agreed.
Young Rachel: David!
Young Stephan: Rachel, say it. It's an oath. Say it.
[Rachel keeps on looking at David]
Young Stephan: Say it.
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Total
Quotes: 48
