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Directed By
David Cronenberg
Written By:
Steven Knight
Cast:
Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinéad Cusack, Donald Sumpter, Morne Botes, Tamer Hassan, Peter Rnic, Michael Sarne, Jerzy Skolimowski, Badi Uzzaman, Richard Waller, Gergo Danka, Mina E. Mina, Tereza Srbova, Josef Altin, Olegar Fedoro, Andrzej Borkowski, Cristina Catalina, Alice Henley, Boris Isarov, Raza Jaffrey, Yuri Klimov, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Elisa Lasowski, Liam McKenna, Igor Outkine David Papava, Rebecca Reid, Brice Stratford, Faton Gerbeshi, Radoslaw Kaim, Ksenia Lavrentieva, Aleksandar Mikic, Mia Soteriou
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Eastern Promises (2007)
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Movie Review by Matthew 
September 21st, 2007
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Grabs You By The Throat
From the first frames, "Eastern Promises" grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.
"A History of Violence" is one of my favorite films. Director David Cronenberg brings together a top-notch cast, including Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello as a married couple living in small town America who has to contend with some new and unexpected violence. William Hurt turns in an Oscar worthy performance as a mobster and Ed Harris is pretty scary as a determined gangster ready to extract revenge for past misdeeds. What makes "Violence" so great is Cronenberg's ability to make everything seem so real. We believe Mortensen and Bello are married. They are sexy, happy, love each other, have kids they love, seem content. When the act of violence occurs, and Mortensen's character becomes a hero, he earns unwanted media attention leading to a confrontation with the gangsters. As the danger escalates, and secrets are revealed, we care more and more about Mortensen's and Bello's characters. Is the film violent? Yes, but these scenes play a significant role in the overall story. Amazingly, "A History of Violence" is based on a graphic novel.
Cronenberg and Mortensen apparently liked working together so well they reteam for "Eastern Promises".
Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a hospital in London, treats a young pregnant woman a few nights before Christmas. When the mother dies, the midwife looks through her belongings, trying to find the address of family, to care for the newborn child. All she finds is a diary filled with entries written in Russian and a business card for a restaurant called Trans-Siberian. The next day, she rides her motorcycle to this restaurant and meets the owner, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). He is preparing a large feast for his extended family but can spare a few moments. He listens to Anna's story and is sorry he can't help. Anna thanks him for his time and mentions she will have her uncle translate the girl's diary, to see if they can find an address. Diary? Semyon tells her to bring the diary to him the next day, he will help translate it. As she leaves the restaurant, Anna meets Nikolai (Mortensen) and Kiril (Vincent Cassel). Kiril is the son of Semyon and considers himself the prince of the crime family his father has built. Nikolai is his friend, and a 'driver' for the organization. Anna realizes these people are part of the Russian mob, but continues to run into them, ignoring her mother's pleas to stay away. As if the problem of the dead girl is not enough, Semyon must deal with Kiril's murder of a Chechen gangster. How can he protect his son?
I read a story about "Eastern Promises" quoting Cronenberg disputing the film is very violent. His argument was something along the lines of "There are only three scenes of violence". It's enough, David. It's enough. Cronenberg is a very good director, one of the most consistent working in film today. When he makes a film, he strives to make it as authentic as possible. If the film contains violence, he wants it to be authentic. Those three scenes are graphic, scary and very believable because they are portrayed in such a believable fashion. This is not the only aspect of the film worth mentioning, and the violence is an integral part of the story and these characters lives, but these scenes will linger in your memory for a while, much as they have mine. One scene in particular is so memorable, and something I am sure you have never seen before, that it might just become one of those scenes people keep referring to. It involves Nikolai fighting with some gangsters, in a steam bath, and Nikolai is buck-naked. Yes, Viggo Mortensen is buck-naked. I think I just sold a number of tickets. I want a commission.
But Cronenberg doesn't shrink away from showing the consequences of violence. If someone gets slashed with a razor, they bleed. If someone gets punched, you almost feel it in your gut. Anyone who has seen any of Cronenberg's other films realizes this is mild in comparison to some of the things he has showed in his earlier work. But it is no less effective considering his current films deal with more real people and their situations.
Cronenberg has really been exploring the relationships of his characters in his last few films, to a greater extent than he used to. Or perhaps his skill has developed to the point where these elements of his films seem to take a more prominent role. In either case, his films seem more human, the characters more vulnerable.
It won't fit. Please read the full review at thornhillatthemovies.com
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