Helen Mirren plays Rachel Singer, a former Isreali spy who must once again search for the evil Nazi surgeon, Dieter Vogel. (Photo Courtesy of Focus Features)

First things first — Helen Mirren.

In her new film, “The Debt,” Mirren (and Jessica Chastain) plays Rachel Singer, a former Isreali Mossad agent assigned to a mission to kill Dieter Vogel, a sadistic Nazi doctor who’s mutilating surgeries made him a wanted man.

Teamed up with fellow agents, Stephen Gold (Tom Wilkonson, Martin Csokas) and David Peretz (Ciarin Hinds, Sam Worthington), the trio’s plan to capture and transport the doctor go dangerously wrong, forcing the team to hold him as a prisoner.

With the movie’s storyline split between the past and the present, the dual time periods of “The Debt’s” are equally important.

While the concept may come across as confusing to some viewers, John Madden’s directing allows the two stories to mesh seamlessly.

The movie’s dominant storyline takes place in 1966, as the young trio embarks on their journey to find the man responsible for some of the Holocaust’s most horrific deaths.

With caution and precision, the agents stalk Vogel’s office, having Jessica Chastain’s Rachel Singer pretend to be a young married woman hoping to have a baby.

When his identify is finally confirmed, the trio’s intricate plan commenced.

While their plan may have been concise and well constructed, one minor mishap at a train station forces the agents to keep Vogel as a prisoner, waiting for a back-up plan to form.

As a prisoner, Vogel isn’t pleasant.

In a dark, dirty apartment, the three agents bound Dr. Vogel to a radiator, feeding him oatmeal three times a day.

Vogel, with a certain crazed look in his eye, kicks and screams around the clock, ultimately making the apartment its own little slice of hell.

There is a particular sequence of shots that perfectly conveys the air of lunacy in the small East Berlin flat.

For an action movie based in Berlin, “The Debt” isn’t expected to house any romance.

However, a surprisingly sweet storyline comes from the on-mission relationship of Chastain’s Rachel and Sam Worthington’s David.

Even though they are told to play a couple in order to capture Dr. Vogel, a real relationship forms between the young David and Rachel.

Chastain and Worthington’s on-screen chemistry was perfect.

Being the devoted agents they are, the couple suppresses their feeling for each other, thus making their one kiss in the movie more passionate than ever.

The movie’s second story line fast forwards thirty years and follows the agents, who are now recognized as national heroes for capturing Dr. Vogel.

When Mirren’s journalist daughter, Sarah, writes a book detailing her mom’s brave actions, the three agents are reunited.

Without revealing too many of the twists and turns in “The Debt’s,” even in 1997, thirty years after their original mission, the agents are still haunted by the evil Dr. Vogel.

If “The Debt,” had to be described in one word, the first one that comes to mind is “solid.”

With plenty of action, a heartbreaking love story, and an interesting historical period as the background, “The Debt” is much better than many of the movies released at this time of the year. Usually, the end of the summer is reserved for the films that the studio knows will flop.

As a cast, “The Debt” owes much of its acting strength to that of the uber-talented Mirren.

Mirren, a mainstay in drama films, transfers over well as an action star.

Who would of thought the same woman who played Queen Elizabeth also knows how to tote a gun?

Perhaps if more studios think of using dramatic actresses in their female featured action films, we wouldn’t get box-office bombs like “Sucker Punch.”

Also proving that women can be big action stars is Mirren’s younger counterpart, Jessica Chastain.

In “The Debt,” Chastain and Mirren play the same character, just at different ages.

While Chastain may not be near as accomplished as Mirren, judging by her performance in “The Debt,” she soon will be.

Chastain’s performance as Rachel Singer is an intelligent combination of a fragile girl in love and a deadly Israeli spy.

As a remake of the 2007 Isreali movie of the same name, “The Debt” is a welcome adaption of a solid story.

As a director, Madden took a real risk in remaking such a good story so soon, but with his smart direction and beautiful camera work, “The Debt” is one of the better action movies to be released this year.

While the film will get virtually no Oscar recognition when awards season comes around, Mirren should be proud of this role, as it shows off a side to her that general audiences rarely get to see.

As the summer season wanes off and the fall movies are waiting at the gates, it seems as “The Debt,” will be one of those movies that gets forgotten in the transition.

However, with the box-office yielding some particularly bad movies at the moment, “The Debt,” may surprise people who are expecting much less.

If Nazi war criminals, shocking twists, and Hellen Mirren are your thing, then “The Debt,” is the perfect movie to see before summer ends.