The term surgeon is used in the movie The Debt to describe the character named Dr. Dieter Vogel, who is based on the real-life Dr. Josef Mengele. [114], On 31 May 1985, acting on intelligence received by the West German prosecutor's office, police raided the house of Hans Sedlmeier, a lifelong friend of Mengele and sales manager of the family firm in Gnzburg. However, each has his or her own strength, and you root for them anyway. Wiesenthal claimed to have information that placed Mengele on the Greek island of Kythnos in 1960,[109] in Cairo in 1961,[110] in Spain in 1971,[111] and in Paraguay in 1978, eighteen years after he had left the country. Hi. David and Rachel both lost family in World War II; his scenes with them, as they care for his basic needs and wait out the days in their damp, dank quarters, are some of the best in the movie. [103], Mengele's health had been steadily deteriorating since 1972. More than half of The Debt is set in East Berlin, where young Rachel is now Jessica Chastain, Stephan is played by Martin Csokas, and Davids avatar is Sam Worthington. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Detlef Vogel - Wikipedia Contribution to Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. (Known as the Surgeon of Birkenau, he's modeled on Josef Mengele). The majority of the story is set in the earlier time period of 1966 where three Mossad agents (Marton Csokas, Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington) come together to bring the Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel back to Israel to stand trial. [14] (Both of his degrees were revoked by the issuing universities in the 1960s. After rescuing two German soldiers from a burning tank, he was decorated with the Iron Cross 1st Class, the Wound Badge in Black, and the Medal for the Care of the German People. By Jordana Horn Describing the encounter to Stefan over the phone, Rachel declares she will not continue to lie about the 1965 mission. Because the film jumps the rails toward the end, it might be worth mentioning the good parts. They were so easy to victimize, so weak . August 26, 2011, An Injection of Class: Helen Mirren excels as a former Mossad agent in ?The Debt.? [121] The skeleton is stored at the So Paulo Institute for Forensic Medicine, where it is used as an educational aid during forensic medicine courses at the University of So Paulo's medical school. In East Berlin, during the Cold War, they killed. Now playing. The best geopolitical thrillers to watch We have always claimed that Vogel was killed, trying to escape. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Trending in reviews - amazon.com The film switches back and forth from the present day, as Rachel struggles with David's death and the secret that has weighed on her for decades, and 1966, as Rachel, David and Stephan (portrayed in their younger years by Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas) carry out their mission to get Vogel. In 1965, Mossad Agents Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain), Stephan Gold (Marton Csokas), and David Peretz (Sam Worthington) are assigned to kidnap Nazi Dieter Vogel, a.k.a. Sources: The State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It was a rare moment of triumph near the end of an unimaginably painful journey. That's intriguing for us, because "The Debt" does a splendid job of showing key early sequences in detail. 28 clinic in the main camp, he carried out assessments of prisoners attempting to gain admission to the hospital. "At a time when Ahmadinejad's Iran regularly denies the Holocaust and anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews is back in vogue, this acquisition is especially significant", he said. Some movies get by on the strength of their heroes. The official reason was that he was shot as he attempted escape while being held by his Israeli captive (kiddenappers) in a safe house somewhere in Europe. The selection of 115 persons (79 Jewish men, 30 Jewish women, 2 Poles, and 4 Asians probably Soviet POWs) and the preliminary preparation, consisting of biometrical measurements and the collection of personal data, were carried out by Hirts collaborator, SS-Hauptsturmfhrer Dr. Bruno Beger, who arrived in Auschwitz in the first half of 1943. Nazi-Thriller The Debt Is Both Absurd and Gripping - Vulture [23][33] Mengele's application was accepted and he was posted to Auschwitz, where he was appointed by SS-Standortarzt Eduard Wirths, chief medical officer at Auschwitz, to the position of chief physician of the Zigeunerfamilienlager (Romani family camp) at Birkenau,[23][33] a subcamp located on the main Auschwitz complex. Film considers time and space subjectively. The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations. In a search of the public records, Langbein discovered Mengele's divorce papers, which listed an address in Buenos Aires.