I was bowled over by Viggo Mortensen's performance. I saw the film about a week ago and his eyes, his look, his smirk has been with me every day since. He is rapidly becoming my favorite actor because he makes something new, long lasting, thought provoking and totally true, out of the characters he plays, the way he plays them and I feel also, why he plays them. Here he is a Russian mobster's driver, or is he? The important thing is that you won't be able to take your eyes of him. Here he has David Cronemberg at his side / or sides, once again. Cronemberg seems to know and understand Mortensen's power. And Mortensen seems to trust him completely. Eastern Promises is a really good film with and extraordinary Viggo Mortensen at its very core. Not to be missed.
491 Reviews
works so well on many levels...
Margie2414 September 2007
It is not often that audiences today are treated to a film that has as many things going for it as Eastern Promises does. Whether it's because of interference from studios determined to make their products as marketable as possible, filmmakers who favor style over substance, or just a plain old shortage of originality, nowadays it is a treat when a film fan can leave the theater and feel affected by the artistry that he/she has just experienced.
On the surface, Eastern Promises is a straightforward crime story about people who don't appear to be terribly complex. But somehow, the combination of the narrative, the mood, and the humanness of the characters create an alchemy that transcends this film from something that could have been common into something quite unique and memorable. Noirish settings, dedicated medical professionals, and mobsters and their loyal henchmen are all commonplace enough in movies as to risk being clichés. Yet everything in this film about a London midwife who stumbles into contact with the Russian mob as she seeks clues to the identity of a teen who died in childbirth mesh together wonderfully and fully engage the viewer.
While it all starts with the script, credit must be given to the director, David Cronenberg for bringing it to life, and for the cast, who created living, breathing characters who the viewer cares about- whether they are likable or not, good or evil, or not quite so easy to read. They seem real.
At the core of the film is "Nikolai," the loyal chauffeur to the kingpin's volatile son. "Nikolai" is both enigmatic and mesmerizing. We know he is a man with a past and with secrets, but we really don't know what his goals and motives are. We don't know who he is, yet somehow, just as the half-Russian midwife, "Anna", we are drawn to him and trust that there is goodness in him, even as were are not quite sure we should. It is a skillful, yet understated performance that quietly blows you away.
Although Eastern Promises has some of the director's signature moments of eye-popping violence, they do not dominate this film and it is the quiet moments- where the characters are silently contemplating aspects of their own existence that give the film its power. We can see the introspection and pain on their faces, but the script leaves so much unsaid, and so much about the two main characters (played by Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts) we come to care about so much remain a beautiful, haunting mystery.
On the surface, Eastern Promises is a straightforward crime story about people who don't appear to be terribly complex. But somehow, the combination of the narrative, the mood, and the humanness of the characters create an alchemy that transcends this film from something that could have been common into something quite unique and memorable. Noirish settings, dedicated medical professionals, and mobsters and their loyal henchmen are all commonplace enough in movies as to risk being clichés. Yet everything in this film about a London midwife who stumbles into contact with the Russian mob as she seeks clues to the identity of a teen who died in childbirth mesh together wonderfully and fully engage the viewer.
While it all starts with the script, credit must be given to the director, David Cronenberg for bringing it to life, and for the cast, who created living, breathing characters who the viewer cares about- whether they are likable or not, good or evil, or not quite so easy to read. They seem real.
At the core of the film is "Nikolai," the loyal chauffeur to the kingpin's volatile son. "Nikolai" is both enigmatic and mesmerizing. We know he is a man with a past and with secrets, but we really don't know what his goals and motives are. We don't know who he is, yet somehow, just as the half-Russian midwife, "Anna", we are drawn to him and trust that there is goodness in him, even as were are not quite sure we should. It is a skillful, yet understated performance that quietly blows you away.
Although Eastern Promises has some of the director's signature moments of eye-popping violence, they do not dominate this film and it is the quiet moments- where the characters are silently contemplating aspects of their own existence that give the film its power. We can see the introspection and pain on their faces, but the script leaves so much unsaid, and so much about the two main characters (played by Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts) we come to care about so much remain a beautiful, haunting mystery.
'Promises delivered'
janos45114 September 2007
"Eastern Promises" will take your breath away, churn your stomach, and then leave you with memories of unforgettable characters as well as perplexing thoughts about good and evil. David Cronenberg's movie about Russian and Chechen mobsters clashing in London is more than violent - it is brutal, savage, shocking. But do not expect just an action film, exploiting blood and gore. After you shake off its terrific immediate impact (there is no way to think while watching it), you realize that "Eastern Promises" is also a kind of morality tale, complex and important.
Only after you hold your breath, cover your eyes, and get through the movie do you realize how "Eastern Promises" manages to contradict Friedrich Nietzsche effectively. The German philosopher's "Beyond Good and Evil" denied the possibility of a universal morality. Cronenberg's film says that ethics - without expectation of rewards, in this life or a possible other one - can prevail even in the depths of great evil. The "History of Violence" director continues his subtle, subtext theme of upholding Anne Frank's belief that "in spite of everything people are really good at heart," and he does so without a smidgen of sentimentality.
There is no goodness in evidence as Viggo Mortensen's scary Russian mobster does every bidding of Armin Mueller-Stahl's chilling godfather figure, ruling ruthlessly over a family, which includes his son, a monster out of control, played brilliantly by Vincent Cassel (son of Jean-Pierre Cassel).
During a pre-release press tour, Cronenberg spoke of his wish to present "provocative, juicy stories... with complexity... showing that all monsters are sentimental and have some kind of relationship to a moral compass." That is all true, but what makes "Eastern Promises" so appealing is that there is no pop psychology (or worse, pop philosophy) in or about it. The film hits you over the head with its magnificently written story (Steven Knight, of "Dirty Pretty Things"), not with a message.
The title, on one level, refers to promises made to young women in Russia, luring them to the West, where the Mob enslaves them as prostitutes. It is one of these drugged and brutalized women whose death opens the film, and brings an English nurse (Naomi Watts) into the story.
As a multitude of promises, threats and tragedies unfolds, you get the maximum out of "Eastern Promises" with minimum advance knowledge of its story. Initially, that is. When you return to see it again, it won't matter that you'll know how it ends, you will want to re-experience what is certain to become a classic film. ("Eastern Promises" was shown at the Toronto Festival last week, opened in San Francisco today, goes nationwide on Sept. 21.)
Only after you hold your breath, cover your eyes, and get through the movie do you realize how "Eastern Promises" manages to contradict Friedrich Nietzsche effectively. The German philosopher's "Beyond Good and Evil" denied the possibility of a universal morality. Cronenberg's film says that ethics - without expectation of rewards, in this life or a possible other one - can prevail even in the depths of great evil. The "History of Violence" director continues his subtle, subtext theme of upholding Anne Frank's belief that "in spite of everything people are really good at heart," and he does so without a smidgen of sentimentality.
There is no goodness in evidence as Viggo Mortensen's scary Russian mobster does every bidding of Armin Mueller-Stahl's chilling godfather figure, ruling ruthlessly over a family, which includes his son, a monster out of control, played brilliantly by Vincent Cassel (son of Jean-Pierre Cassel).
During a pre-release press tour, Cronenberg spoke of his wish to present "provocative, juicy stories... with complexity... showing that all monsters are sentimental and have some kind of relationship to a moral compass." That is all true, but what makes "Eastern Promises" so appealing is that there is no pop psychology (or worse, pop philosophy) in or about it. The film hits you over the head with its magnificently written story (Steven Knight, of "Dirty Pretty Things"), not with a message.
The title, on one level, refers to promises made to young women in Russia, luring them to the West, where the Mob enslaves them as prostitutes. It is one of these drugged and brutalized women whose death opens the film, and brings an English nurse (Naomi Watts) into the story.
As a multitude of promises, threats and tragedies unfolds, you get the maximum out of "Eastern Promises" with minimum advance knowledge of its story. Initially, that is. When you return to see it again, it won't matter that you'll know how it ends, you will want to re-experience what is certain to become a classic film. ("Eastern Promises" was shown at the Toronto Festival last week, opened in San Francisco today, goes nationwide on Sept. 21.)
Amazing
Boris T15 September 2007
First of all it is amazing the amount of research that went into this movie. When Mortissen's characters says that his father worked for the government, in Russian he actually says: "Hunched his back for the uncle"! Even the poster with little and index finger straighter then the rest, it all breathers authenticity.
I didn't go in expecting non-Russian actors to suddenly have no accent, but I did have hesitations about the pronunciation, that usually tends to be horrible. Not so here, despite the accent (that was slight), the intonation, the way the characters cary themselves especially Mortinssen's are very Russian. (Even his less then perfect English sounds Russia when he misses articles: "Not good place for girl to grow up.") Overall the director shows a bit of what a real SinCity looks like. Violence is like a snap of a whip, sudden and loud. The movie is very stylish, but without trying to be so. It's just how these people like to live their lifes. A lot has been said about acting and it is true Mortinssen really delivers. All the auther actors are great too though, there is no weak link in this movie.
Anyway the bottom line: The most authentic movie about Russian mobsters that the west has produced so far. Furthermore I find the only aspect in which it looses to the Godfather is scope. Although the movie is complete I can not help, but to want for more. The best film I've seen this year.
I didn't go in expecting non-Russian actors to suddenly have no accent, but I did have hesitations about the pronunciation, that usually tends to be horrible. Not so here, despite the accent (that was slight), the intonation, the way the characters cary themselves especially Mortinssen's are very Russian. (Even his less then perfect English sounds Russia when he misses articles: "Not good place for girl to grow up.") Overall the director shows a bit of what a real SinCity looks like. Violence is like a snap of a whip, sudden and loud. The movie is very stylish, but without trying to be so. It's just how these people like to live their lifes. A lot has been said about acting and it is true Mortinssen really delivers. All the auther actors are great too though, there is no weak link in this movie.
Anyway the bottom line: The most authentic movie about Russian mobsters that the west has produced so far. Furthermore I find the only aspect in which it looses to the Godfather is scope. Although the movie is complete I can not help, but to want for more. The best film I've seen this year.
Viggo Mortenssen and David Cronenberg together again
filmquestint25 December 2007
Russian mobsters, a rainy, murky London, a midwife and Viggo Mortensen makes this David Cronemberg film a perfect companion piece to his "A History Of Violence". My two favourite films of this idiosyncratic and fascinating director. Naomi Watts and motherhood go beautifully together and it's her gutsy maternal instinct that throws her in a world populated by truly horrible people. The trick is, we go with her and within that brutal world we meet some memorable characters. Viggo Mortensen, what an actor! His fearlessness is riveting, he's also beautiful beyond words. We think we can read him but we doubt our own thoughts, he's in total control of his character and of his audience. He has the face of an icon and he underplays it, over playing it. If you see History Of Violence and Eastern Promises you'll understand what I mean. This is not a film to like but to love and I loved it.
Cronenberg delivers.
stutch13 September 2007
I know a gent that did police detective work in St Petersburg, Russia for a couple of years, mostly blackmarket stuff. One night over dinner he told me, "In St Petersburg everything is available. And you don't want to know what everything is". Eastern Promises has more than a little bit of 'everything'.
Some real edge of your seat moments in this instant classic. Set in dark wet, and noir London, Eastern Promises takes a look into a Russian Gangster mentality and culture with some scenes that will make both your skin crawl and your heart ache. This is one tough and nasty thriller. Not for the squeamish.
A twisted morality tale of family dynamics, gang loyalty and one possible way the Good Guys just might usurp the Bad. Every principal character etches a note that resonates true to the scale of the story. And its an excellent dark dark black hearted story full of places and people that you just hope this movie is as close as you ever get to them. Genuinely bad characters with such exquisite details that it doesn't feel like fiction.
Go see it. Pleasant nightmares!
Some real edge of your seat moments in this instant classic. Set in dark wet, and noir London, Eastern Promises takes a look into a Russian Gangster mentality and culture with some scenes that will make both your skin crawl and your heart ache. This is one tough and nasty thriller. Not for the squeamish.
A twisted morality tale of family dynamics, gang loyalty and one possible way the Good Guys just might usurp the Bad. Every principal character etches a note that resonates true to the scale of the story. And its an excellent dark dark black hearted story full of places and people that you just hope this movie is as close as you ever get to them. Genuinely bad characters with such exquisite details that it doesn't feel like fiction.
Go see it. Pleasant nightmares!
Promises more than it delivers
brefane21 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Entertaining and absorbing film that grows more diffuse as it goes on, and builds to an unsatisfying conclusion that doesn't jibe with the atmosphere of extreme fealty and violence so effectively developed during the first hour. The climax is a lot less explosive than anticipated, and the film's resolution short changes two of the film's most interesting and superbly acted characterizations, Krill and Semyon. The climactic scene involving the baby and Krill is almost laughable. Looking at times like a combination of Kirk Douglas and Frank Gorshin, Viggo Mortensen is fine, says little, and possesses a commanding stillness. The rest of the cast is first rate, and Amin Mueller Stahl as Semyon and Vincent Cassel as Krill are outstanding. The film contains well-written scenes with convincing dialog and character development though Noami Watt's character(Nancy Drew vs. the Russian mob) and the narration from the dead girl's diary begin to seem obtrusive.
Though Eastern Promises doesn't completely deliver, it's an accomplished film in many respects, the supporting cast, production design and cinematography provide an authentic atmosphere, and a couple of set pieces will undoubtedly provoke strong reactions.
Though Eastern Promises doesn't completely deliver, it's an accomplished film in many respects, the supporting cast, production design and cinematography provide an authentic atmosphere, and a couple of set pieces will undoubtedly provoke strong reactions.
Eastern Promises ... and delivers
ourson6615 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
In a wet and dreary pre-Christmas London, an anonymous, distressed, 14-year old Russian girl staggers into Trafalgar hospital, on the verge of giving birth, hemorrhaging badly and with obvious heroine tracks on her arms. Pediatric nurse Anna (Naomi Watts) tries in vain to save both mother and baby, but in the end, all that remains is the newborn, and a diary written in Russian in the girl's purse, that contains a business card for a Russian restaurant. Haunted by her own previous miscarriage, and determined that the baby girl not be sent to an orphanage, Anna attempts to have the diary translated in order to identify the anonymous girl's family. In so doing, she becomes embroiled in the dark, seething world of crime, drugs, and prostitution of the Russian Mob. It is an enclosed, hot house society, where family loyalty and responsibility and adherence to the "vory v zakone" code of thieves are paramount, and shady characters like the "restauranteur" Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and his "driver" Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) exist on the periphery of the law.
As a long-time fan of Cronenberg's work, it is interesting for me to see his recent films grab the public attention in such a mainstream way. While it is true that both "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises" feature less obviously fantastic elements than, say, "The Fly" or "Scanners", Cronenberg's uniquely clinical and undramatic visual and storytelling style remain intact throughout all of his films. Nothing in a David Cronenberg film appears on- screen without a reason. He's sort of the film-making equivalent of Ernest Hemingway: a deceptively simple, unflinching eye; a calm surface that somehow manages to get under your skin and hints at labyrinthine depths beneath. Cronenberg's work always makes you uncomfortable, but here in "Eastern Promises", it is done very subtly, almost subliminally, so you find yourself thinking about it afterward without realizing it.
The acting in Eastern Promises is uniformly excellent. Viggo Mortensen's Nikolai, in particular, displays a still, coiled menace that is chilling and intense, which plays well against Vincent Cassel's portrayal of the feral Kirill, whose confused and tortured attempts to live up to his father's criminal expectations set the plot in motion, and Armin Mueller-Stahl's stunningly nuanced performance as the crime boss Semyon: Satan dressed up as your favorite uncle at Christmastime. As Anna, unwittingly tossed into this den of serpents, Naomi Watts manages to be simultaneously vulnerable and tenacious in a role for which she will doubtless receive too little credit.
Cronenberg's no-nonsense approach to violence is still in evidence here, from the shockingly bloody opening scene, to one remarkably brutal fight sequence that deserves to be written down in the annals of film history, and is so astonishing that it isn't until afterward that you register the fact that Viggo Mortensen did the whole thing completely nude. But, in the end, it is the sinuous undercurrent of hope, the trickle of humanity that manages to somehow exist amongst these desperate characters, that sticks with me in this film. The writing hints at things rather than stating them, the muted "film noir" visual style enhances this, and even the "big plot twist" near the end of the story (that I wouldn't dream of spoiling for you) is handled with the most minimalist of gestures. I swear, sometime soon David Cronenberg is going to discover the meaning of life in a black screen.
As a long-time fan of Cronenberg's work, it is interesting for me to see his recent films grab the public attention in such a mainstream way. While it is true that both "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises" feature less obviously fantastic elements than, say, "The Fly" or "Scanners", Cronenberg's uniquely clinical and undramatic visual and storytelling style remain intact throughout all of his films. Nothing in a David Cronenberg film appears on- screen without a reason. He's sort of the film-making equivalent of Ernest Hemingway: a deceptively simple, unflinching eye; a calm surface that somehow manages to get under your skin and hints at labyrinthine depths beneath. Cronenberg's work always makes you uncomfortable, but here in "Eastern Promises", it is done very subtly, almost subliminally, so you find yourself thinking about it afterward without realizing it.
The acting in Eastern Promises is uniformly excellent. Viggo Mortensen's Nikolai, in particular, displays a still, coiled menace that is chilling and intense, which plays well against Vincent Cassel's portrayal of the feral Kirill, whose confused and tortured attempts to live up to his father's criminal expectations set the plot in motion, and Armin Mueller-Stahl's stunningly nuanced performance as the crime boss Semyon: Satan dressed up as your favorite uncle at Christmastime. As Anna, unwittingly tossed into this den of serpents, Naomi Watts manages to be simultaneously vulnerable and tenacious in a role for which she will doubtless receive too little credit.
Cronenberg's no-nonsense approach to violence is still in evidence here, from the shockingly bloody opening scene, to one remarkably brutal fight sequence that deserves to be written down in the annals of film history, and is so astonishing that it isn't until afterward that you register the fact that Viggo Mortensen did the whole thing completely nude. But, in the end, it is the sinuous undercurrent of hope, the trickle of humanity that manages to somehow exist amongst these desperate characters, that sticks with me in this film. The writing hints at things rather than stating them, the muted "film noir" visual style enhances this, and even the "big plot twist" near the end of the story (that I wouldn't dream of spoiling for you) is handled with the most minimalist of gestures. I swear, sometime soon David Cronenberg is going to discover the meaning of life in a black screen.
"I am driver. I go left, I go right, I go straight ahead - that's it."
Galina_movie_fan14 February 2008
"Eastern promises" is the first film for David Cronenberg that was shot entirely outside his native Canada and it is the second film of Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen - after "The History of Violence" (2005). It should be mentioned that Viggo Mortensen had done a very impressive research for his Oscar-nominated role of Nikolai Luzhin, a modest driver and also an "undertaker" and a hit-man for the Russian mafia boss in London. Mortensen alone, without a translator, had traveled across Russia, visiting the Urals Mountains where his character came from, and also stopped in Moscow and St.-Petersburg. Mortensen diligently learned Russian to make the Russian phrases of Siberian Nikolai sound more naturally. He also studied the literature on Russian prisons and their unofficial kings, "vory v zakone" or thieves in the law, the most respected and feared criminals. The script was written by Stephen Knight whose previous film on the subject of the emigrants in modern London, "Dirty Pretty Things" (2002), proves that he is a talented writer. Sadly, the script is the weakest part of "Eastern Promises" and while watching the movie I thought that it had deserved the better writing. The story is predictable from the very beginning and it lacks subtlety. All twists and turns are clearly seen a mile away. Even with the obvious problems in the script, "Eastern promises" is an interesting film - intense, gloomy, dark, and violent. David Cronenberg's directing is laconic, non sentimental, almost clinical and always virtuoso. The gruesome fight scene in the Turkish Baths is a masterpiece, the way it was choreographed and shot. Cronenberg must have used the knowledgeable Russian consultants on the set and I was pleasantly surprised that the Russian phrases sound naturally, and pronunciation and intonations of the non-Russian actors were believable. Besides Mortinsen, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Vincent Casselas as Nikolai's horrifying boss and his creepy son, are especially memorable. Surprisingly, Naomi Watts whom I adore in every movie I've seen her, plays the least interesting character and I attribute it to the weaknesses of the script.
Viggo Mortensen Breaks New Ground
littlemartinarocena25 December 2007
A terrific, tight, violent, homo erotic thriller with a soul and a heart and if that wasn't enough, Viggo Mortensen! He is an astonishing actor, he's always been. But now his Russian "I'm just a driver" goes further than most actors would have dared. He is magnetic. Cronenberg designs two lives again for him but this time the universe where he lives is made of monsters with an accent. The splendid Armin Mueller-Stahl's bonhomie doesn't fools us for a moment. "A diary?" That's enough for us to know and to fear. Vincent Cassel is also terrific and his down, tactile moments with Viggo Mortensen, have an erotic undercurrent that is impossible to ignore. Naomi Watts brings the heart to the proceedings without ever being sentimental. David Cronenberg, I feel, is entering a spectacular new face to his already remarkable career.
Gangster's London
gjk8518 October 2007
Since Napoleon’s times everybody knows that try to understand Russian mysterious soul practically impossible. French froze near Moscow, Hitler took from his blitz – krig more than four years. Sum up. Russia is real marsh and better keep your nose clear out of there. But director David Kronenberg decides to forget about this experience. He invited brilliant editor and professional script writer and went in this greatest inferno. Irish, Jakudza, Cosa Nostra, international terrorism with Ben Laden – it is already was. And Kronenberg is discovering wild wild east – world of Russian organized criminality. Don’t get me wrong. The film are not bad. Vice versa – it is very good job. Foreign press gave highest estimation to movie. Russian audience was bought that filmmakers have laid off from Russian gangsters yshanki and valenki, took away balalaika and garmoshka and forever have separated with bears. Instead they have put on them stylish skin-jackets and Terminator’s sunglasses. And gave head role to King of Hondor Viggo Mortensen, who was painted from top to toe by prison’s tattoos Russian prison’s theme penetrate whole film. And it was head defect of film. Kronenberg have dived in that them too much and have forgotten that in Russia was change many things since 60-th, 70-th. Because of that, scene of crowning of Nikolai (not Romanov) was accompanied by laugh of Russian public in cinema theater. Yes hierarchy, yes tattoos, yes “… v zakone” but it was many many years ago and today in Russia this system is failed. And those lacks are provoking curl of the lips only. But important fact – action are happening in London. And who knows, may be in this ground of disgraced oligarchies and “vorov v zakone” all was kept. England is very conservative land. They have preserved monarchy. May be they have preserved Russian mafia too. Why not? But anyway, Eastern promises (on Russian translate “Vice on export”) a very good movie with professional direct and brilliant performances.
P.S. Bike “Ural” – worst bike in the world, believe me!)))
P.S. Bike “Ural” – worst bike in the world, believe me!)))
Cronenberg and Mortensen deliver in one unmissably solid thriller
DonFishies21 September 2007
When I first saw the trailer for Eastern Promises, I was a little confused. Yes, A History of Violence was a complete turnaround style picture for David Cronenberg (whose previous films include the most twistedly eccentric visions of horrendously graphic violence and overtly over sexualized human beings and monsters), but I had not expected that he would continue down the path of the "independent mainstream". I was a little hesitant to see it at first, but gradually the trailer's imagery drew me in. And now I can say there really is a reason for the Oscar buzz.
There really is no way to perfectly describe Eastern Promises without giving a few juicy details away. It revolves around a Russian crime circuit in London, headed by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), and includes his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and Kirill's driver Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife, gets involved within the circuit unknowingly when she attempts to get a diary, recently left by a teenage mother who died during childbirth, translated from Russian into English.
The plot is really not that complicated, but giving a full description ruins the little idiosyncrasies and poignant character moments shared within the film. Oscar-nominee Steve Knight has constructed a gritty, atmospheric thriller that starts up quick and then slows down to a nice steady pace, just so the audience can catch its breath and brood over the workings of the cast. It is dialogue driven, but when it is not being sly or darkly comedic, it plays out like an opera. We gradually learn all the intimate details of every sketchy character, and we get a deeper sense of just how bad some of these characters are. It is not just a paint-by-numbers depiction of bad men, it is a highly detailed and clearly articulate character study. And even at its dullest moments, it works excellently.
Kudos also goes to Cronenberg's go to cinematographer, Peter Suschitsky. London and its drab and depressing climate are beautifully represented here from the first frame, all the way up to the last. Even when the sun is out, the sets have a certain subdued haze over them. We are watching a film about the criminal underbelly, and its settings help reflected just how low these people are in their moral standings. It works greatly in favour of the film, and it almost works as a character in itself. The drab, almost noir, settings help achieve the dirty politics of the film, and they help explore the character studies even further. Whether it's the scariness of watching Mortensen in the dark, or just looking at the glare of Mueller-Stahl in his dimmed restaurant, all of the details have been amped up on each set to give the audience a greater sense of understanding and purpose, for just about every character.
And what Cronenberg film would be without some bizarrely violent visuals? While not exactly a bloodbath, Cronenberg does have a few moments where he paints the screen a bright shade of scarlet red. And when it begins to flow, there is nothing that can really stop it. It works much in the same way as it did in Violence, in that the film builds to a scene loaded with it and just lets loose in a ferocious manner unlike any well-known director currently working in the mainstream on movies that are not specifically horror (with obvious exceptions to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez). It has that Cronenbergian touch, and much like his other films, its style is impeccable and thought-provoking.
Another fantastic element is the score by Howard Shore. It slows when it needs to, and it quickens even faster. It plays out wonderfully throughout the scenes, and gives them a sort of classy feel. I realize I used the opera description before, but it fits even better here. Its great workings underpin every scene, and help dictate just how well off the film is.
What hurts the film (besides some very bizarre choices by Watts' character) is the denouement. It works, but I just cannot fathom how neither Knight nor Cronenberg thought it was appropriate for the story that was taking place. It just does not have the solid impact that every other scene either has, or builds to. I sat, almost dumbfounded, trying to figure out who thought it was a good idea, and why no one told them to re-write it. But I will say, much like Violence, Promises has an absolutely stunning final moment. But to get to that astounding moment, you have to sit through a rather disappointing finale.
If you thought you had seen Mortensen's best work before Promises, then you will be in for a very big surprise. His cold and calculating performance as Nikolai is the stuff that creates legends. He is menacing from the word go, and even as the enigmatic slowly becomes the well-known, you will just stare in fear and awe as he speaks on screen. From the terrifying tattoos, to a small character moment where he puts out a cigarette on his tongue, Mortensen is the quintessential image of evil. His unrestrained anger is felt throughout the film, and hopefully, will be just the right performance to launch him into the stratosphere of Oscar-nominated actors. Even during the let-down of an ending, he keeps up, and never lets anyone down.
The rest of the cast, albeit nowhere near as strong as Mortensen, are all very good supporting characters. Watts' character may have issues, but she breathes a certain life into the naïve character that I doubt many others could match. Much the same goes for Cassel and Mueller-Stahl, who bring just the right amount of intensity to their roles.
Although it is flawed, Cronenberg has delivered yet another exceptional thriller. It will surely be recognized at Oscar time, and for good reason too. Do not miss it.
8.5/10.
There really is no way to perfectly describe Eastern Promises without giving a few juicy details away. It revolves around a Russian crime circuit in London, headed by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), and includes his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and Kirill's driver Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife, gets involved within the circuit unknowingly when she attempts to get a diary, recently left by a teenage mother who died during childbirth, translated from Russian into English.
The plot is really not that complicated, but giving a full description ruins the little idiosyncrasies and poignant character moments shared within the film. Oscar-nominee Steve Knight has constructed a gritty, atmospheric thriller that starts up quick and then slows down to a nice steady pace, just so the audience can catch its breath and brood over the workings of the cast. It is dialogue driven, but when it is not being sly or darkly comedic, it plays out like an opera. We gradually learn all the intimate details of every sketchy character, and we get a deeper sense of just how bad some of these characters are. It is not just a paint-by-numbers depiction of bad men, it is a highly detailed and clearly articulate character study. And even at its dullest moments, it works excellently.
Kudos also goes to Cronenberg's go to cinematographer, Peter Suschitsky. London and its drab and depressing climate are beautifully represented here from the first frame, all the way up to the last. Even when the sun is out, the sets have a certain subdued haze over them. We are watching a film about the criminal underbelly, and its settings help reflected just how low these people are in their moral standings. It works greatly in favour of the film, and it almost works as a character in itself. The drab, almost noir, settings help achieve the dirty politics of the film, and they help explore the character studies even further. Whether it's the scariness of watching Mortensen in the dark, or just looking at the glare of Mueller-Stahl in his dimmed restaurant, all of the details have been amped up on each set to give the audience a greater sense of understanding and purpose, for just about every character.
And what Cronenberg film would be without some bizarrely violent visuals? While not exactly a bloodbath, Cronenberg does have a few moments where he paints the screen a bright shade of scarlet red. And when it begins to flow, there is nothing that can really stop it. It works much in the same way as it did in Violence, in that the film builds to a scene loaded with it and just lets loose in a ferocious manner unlike any well-known director currently working in the mainstream on movies that are not specifically horror (with obvious exceptions to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez). It has that Cronenbergian touch, and much like his other films, its style is impeccable and thought-provoking.
Another fantastic element is the score by Howard Shore. It slows when it needs to, and it quickens even faster. It plays out wonderfully throughout the scenes, and gives them a sort of classy feel. I realize I used the opera description before, but it fits even better here. Its great workings underpin every scene, and help dictate just how well off the film is.
What hurts the film (besides some very bizarre choices by Watts' character) is the denouement. It works, but I just cannot fathom how neither Knight nor Cronenberg thought it was appropriate for the story that was taking place. It just does not have the solid impact that every other scene either has, or builds to. I sat, almost dumbfounded, trying to figure out who thought it was a good idea, and why no one told them to re-write it. But I will say, much like Violence, Promises has an absolutely stunning final moment. But to get to that astounding moment, you have to sit through a rather disappointing finale.
If you thought you had seen Mortensen's best work before Promises, then you will be in for a very big surprise. His cold and calculating performance as Nikolai is the stuff that creates legends. He is menacing from the word go, and even as the enigmatic slowly becomes the well-known, you will just stare in fear and awe as he speaks on screen. From the terrifying tattoos, to a small character moment where he puts out a cigarette on his tongue, Mortensen is the quintessential image of evil. His unrestrained anger is felt throughout the film, and hopefully, will be just the right performance to launch him into the stratosphere of Oscar-nominated actors. Even during the let-down of an ending, he keeps up, and never lets anyone down.
The rest of the cast, albeit nowhere near as strong as Mortensen, are all very good supporting characters. Watts' character may have issues, but she breathes a certain life into the naïve character that I doubt many others could match. Much the same goes for Cassel and Mueller-Stahl, who bring just the right amount of intensity to their roles.
Although it is flawed, Cronenberg has delivered yet another exceptional thriller. It will surely be recognized at Oscar time, and for good reason too. Do not miss it.
8.5/10.
Broken Promises.
dunmore_ego6 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Child prostitution rings! Russian mob wars! Blond American chick in mortal danger from Euro assassins! Heaven forfend! Not to worry - David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES has none of these.
Oh, it promises all that and more in the breathless trailers, but when we examine Steven Knight's screenplay, we realize something director Cronenberg does not - EASTERN PROMISES makes absolutely no sense.
Anna (Naomi Watts) is an American nurse in London, who finds a Russian diary on the body of a 14-year-old mother who dies in childbirth. To find any clue to place the baby with its next of kin, Anna asks her Russian uncle (Jerzy Skolimowski) to translate the diary; she also follows the trail of a business card found in the diary, to a Russian restaurant owned by Semyon (avuncular, yet sinister, Armin Mueller-Stahl).
Semyon's son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel) hangs around Semyon's street muscle, Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) like that little yapping dog, Chester, in the Warner Bros. Sylvester cartoon, Dr. Jerkyl's Hide ("That's my Alf!").
These early scenes do well to create an aura of uneasiness around the Russians. It falls apart just about the time we see Viggo stark frontal nekkid. You heard me, ladies...
Semyon betrays Nikolai to the Russian Mob on the pretense that Nikolai is Kirill, his son who was ordered sacrificed. But Nikolai dispatches the assassins in a nude steam room scene that can't GET any steamier for the ladies, with his magnificent ballsac doing most of the work.
There are two big "reveals" in EASTERN PROMISES. The first is Viggo's magnificent ballsac, the second is that Nikolai is a cop. Undercover.
And the movie is officially euthanized by its own makers.
After all the research that went into the Mob tatts on Viggo's body, after all that skulking around and winding us up, now we don't have to fear for Anna any more - we know she has a protector in the form of Aragorn! How could any cave-trolls get near her now? Cronenberg makes a great-looking film (but that's probably more attributable to his cinematographer, Peter Suschitzky), but I'm not letting him off the hook for the absurd twists that negate the whole reason for us to be concerned with these people's fates.
Like his HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, Cronenberg's story does not seem to take place in any real world we know. Wouldn't the Russian Mob - after sending two assassins to kill Kirill and failing - send more assassins to finish the job? And when they find out Nikolai is not Kirill, wouldn't they go after the real Kirill? Wouldn't they sanction Semyon for trying to bait-and-switch them? And whether Nikolai is Kirill or not, wouldn't they send someone to finish the job while he lies prostrate in hospital? None of this happens. It's Cronenberg's world of No Consequences.
The gore in EASTERN PROMISES is not gratuitous, but when it comes, Cronenberg never flinches. The naked shower battle is intense, with glinty knives scarring across backs and stabbed into eyes, yet Cronenberg simply uses gaping wound holes to distract us from the gaping plot holes.
Firstly, it's not a child prostitution "ring" if just one fourteen-year-old girl was raped; it's not a Russian mob war if there are no followup assassination attempts; and Anna suddenly seems completely safe and therefore irrelevant, the baby becomes a McGuffin, Kirill becomes homosexual, and Semyon is simply arrested by local police.
After showing us a Russian underculture that is hard and heavy, Semyon's arrest is ridiculous; uh, guess the Russian gangs didn't want to interrupt official police business.
In a final shot, Nikolai is seen taking on the Godfather role in Semyon's stead. So an undercover cop who is trying to bring down the organization is now running it.
And all this while I thought There IS No Keyser Soze.
Oh, it promises all that and more in the breathless trailers, but when we examine Steven Knight's screenplay, we realize something director Cronenberg does not - EASTERN PROMISES makes absolutely no sense.
Anna (Naomi Watts) is an American nurse in London, who finds a Russian diary on the body of a 14-year-old mother who dies in childbirth. To find any clue to place the baby with its next of kin, Anna asks her Russian uncle (Jerzy Skolimowski) to translate the diary; she also follows the trail of a business card found in the diary, to a Russian restaurant owned by Semyon (avuncular, yet sinister, Armin Mueller-Stahl).
Semyon's son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel) hangs around Semyon's street muscle, Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) like that little yapping dog, Chester, in the Warner Bros. Sylvester cartoon, Dr. Jerkyl's Hide ("That's my Alf!").
These early scenes do well to create an aura of uneasiness around the Russians. It falls apart just about the time we see Viggo stark frontal nekkid. You heard me, ladies...
Semyon betrays Nikolai to the Russian Mob on the pretense that Nikolai is Kirill, his son who was ordered sacrificed. But Nikolai dispatches the assassins in a nude steam room scene that can't GET any steamier for the ladies, with his magnificent ballsac doing most of the work.
There are two big "reveals" in EASTERN PROMISES. The first is Viggo's magnificent ballsac, the second is that Nikolai is a cop. Undercover.
And the movie is officially euthanized by its own makers.
After all the research that went into the Mob tatts on Viggo's body, after all that skulking around and winding us up, now we don't have to fear for Anna any more - we know she has a protector in the form of Aragorn! How could any cave-trolls get near her now? Cronenberg makes a great-looking film (but that's probably more attributable to his cinematographer, Peter Suschitzky), but I'm not letting him off the hook for the absurd twists that negate the whole reason for us to be concerned with these people's fates.
Like his HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, Cronenberg's story does not seem to take place in any real world we know. Wouldn't the Russian Mob - after sending two assassins to kill Kirill and failing - send more assassins to finish the job? And when they find out Nikolai is not Kirill, wouldn't they go after the real Kirill? Wouldn't they sanction Semyon for trying to bait-and-switch them? And whether Nikolai is Kirill or not, wouldn't they send someone to finish the job while he lies prostrate in hospital? None of this happens. It's Cronenberg's world of No Consequences.
The gore in EASTERN PROMISES is not gratuitous, but when it comes, Cronenberg never flinches. The naked shower battle is intense, with glinty knives scarring across backs and stabbed into eyes, yet Cronenberg simply uses gaping wound holes to distract us from the gaping plot holes.
Firstly, it's not a child prostitution "ring" if just one fourteen-year-old girl was raped; it's not a Russian mob war if there are no followup assassination attempts; and Anna suddenly seems completely safe and therefore irrelevant, the baby becomes a McGuffin, Kirill becomes homosexual, and Semyon is simply arrested by local police.
After showing us a Russian underculture that is hard and heavy, Semyon's arrest is ridiculous; uh, guess the Russian gangs didn't want to interrupt official police business.
In a final shot, Nikolai is seen taking on the Godfather role in Semyon's stead. So an undercover cop who is trying to bring down the organization is now running it.
And all this while I thought There IS No Keyser Soze.
Strange and violent drama
funkyfry19 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This film is poised somewhere neatly between being great and unique and being rather pedestrian and forgettable. On the negative side of the balance, there's a plot structure that one hopes would be more complex, but which ends up being as contrived as an early 20th Century film melodrama -- the orphaned baby in the hospital, threatened by ethnic gangsters... the all-too-obvious secret agent who blows his own cover but gets away with it... etc. On the other hand, Viggo Mortensen gives a decent performance, affected accent aside, and Vincent Cassel is brilliant. There are some pretty cool violent action scenes, which might be a positive or a negative for different people -- the director Cronenberg has often been accused of needless gore, while his defenders often argue that gore is a style and a manner of formalism for him. Eastern Promises always seems to hang just on the precipice of bad taste and even sheer stupidity, and the artistic accomplishment to which these ends are used is questionable in the end.
An orphaned baby's mother leaves behind a diary with all kinds of mafia secrets which is discovered and for some reason allowed to remain in the possession of the nurse on duty at the time (Naomi Watts) instead of the police. Leaving aside the fact that the diary plot device is more stale than Shakespeare allusions, the movie then throws in this chauffeur character (Mortensen), and the audience can tell within 5 minutes that he knows way more than Cassel's character and is probably a secret agent. However, this possibility never occurs even to the hardened mafia types after the chauffeur arranges for a whore he slept with to be arrested and sent back to her home. One is left by the end of the movie, after witnessing this mafia's inept attempts to protect itself from a very obvious threat, to wonder how they could possibly have stayed in power for more than a few weeks.
Cassel is the main saving grace of the film -- as a self-tortured repressed homosexual who's always dangerously close to releasing his energy in the form of violence on relatively innocent people, his volatile energy keeps the film going. The performances in general are very good, as Cronenberg knows how to work with the actor to bring out something interesting regardless of the material. But it's a shame to see the director and the cast trying to put meat on such a poor animal's bones. I greatly preferred the previous Mortensen/Cronenberg collaboration, "A History of Violence." There were some moments of this film that seemed to reach for territory even beyond that film's deliberately limited pallet, but the structure of the story wasn't strong enough for me to support or sustain those moments.
I see "Eastern Promises" as an interesting failure. Ultimately the characters are more interesting than anything in the story, which is not inherently bad but is rather demanding towards the actors. Most carried through in this film, but it lacked a certain focus and vitality that the best films should have.
An orphaned baby's mother leaves behind a diary with all kinds of mafia secrets which is discovered and for some reason allowed to remain in the possession of the nurse on duty at the time (Naomi Watts) instead of the police. Leaving aside the fact that the diary plot device is more stale than Shakespeare allusions, the movie then throws in this chauffeur character (Mortensen), and the audience can tell within 5 minutes that he knows way more than Cassel's character and is probably a secret agent. However, this possibility never occurs even to the hardened mafia types after the chauffeur arranges for a whore he slept with to be arrested and sent back to her home. One is left by the end of the movie, after witnessing this mafia's inept attempts to protect itself from a very obvious threat, to wonder how they could possibly have stayed in power for more than a few weeks.
Cassel is the main saving grace of the film -- as a self-tortured repressed homosexual who's always dangerously close to releasing his energy in the form of violence on relatively innocent people, his volatile energy keeps the film going. The performances in general are very good, as Cronenberg knows how to work with the actor to bring out something interesting regardless of the material. But it's a shame to see the director and the cast trying to put meat on such a poor animal's bones. I greatly preferred the previous Mortensen/Cronenberg collaboration, "A History of Violence." There were some moments of this film that seemed to reach for territory even beyond that film's deliberately limited pallet, but the structure of the story wasn't strong enough for me to support or sustain those moments.
I see "Eastern Promises" as an interesting failure. Ultimately the characters are more interesting than anything in the story, which is not inherently bad but is rather demanding towards the actors. Most carried through in this film, but it lacked a certain focus and vitality that the best films should have.
Another masterpiece
vermont2311 September 2007
Eastern Promises is a further proof David Cronenberg is one of the last classic film-makers left. At the same time, he is a modernist. The combination, in the dark London he created, is a moral tale which makes you think of Dostoievsky. It's a story of crime and redemption with an unusual (hidden) tenderness. At the same time, it is a very serious trip into the rites of a secret society as we can see more and more in our big cities. A criminal secret society.
Cronenberg (and his friend Peter Suschistky) have created another universe that seems another version of ours. As usual it is a mental one, but so close to what we call "reality" that it makes you uncomfortable and eventually horrified. The cast is fantastic and the script is brilliant.
Cronenberg (and his friend Peter Suschistky) have created another universe that seems another version of ours. As usual it is a mental one, but so close to what we call "reality" that it makes you uncomfortable and eventually horrified. The cast is fantastic and the script is brilliant.
Cronenberg finally settled in his new direction
Superunknovvn2 January 2008
Ever since Cronenberg started making "straight" movies without (too many) splatter elements, something in his oeuvre had been lacking. "Spider" was beautifully photographed but a complete and utter bore. The much praised "A History Of Violence" had a great cast and a solid premise, but turned out to be just as boring and on top of that far-fetched and superficial. "Eastern Promises" finds Cronenberg finally coming to terms with his new "realistic" approach to movie making.
It's a little wonder that there haven't been too many serious movies about the Russian Mafia, yet, so having a movie that takes place in these circles is fascinating all by itself. Cronenberg sets the story up slowly, but nicely. He never falls into the trap of slowing things down too much as he did with his previous two movies. Cronenberg also avoids getting too close to the style of the genre's Big Kahuna, Martin Scorsese. This is a completely original effort, which sets it apart from 2007's snorefest "American Gangster", that didn't contribute anything new to the gangster genre at all.
The cast is, of course, very helpful. Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassell look threatening, cold-blooded and emotional all at the same time. You really forget the actors and start looking at them as the characters they embody. Armin Mueller-Stahl who plays the gangster boss wasn't quite as convincing. During the movie we hear all those cruel and crazy things he's done, but when we see him on screen we can't really imagine that he's capable of all that. The weakest link in the cast, however, is Naomi Watts, who plays the same way she always does and comes across as pretty one-dimensional. She has deservedly gotten a lot of praise for "Mullholland Dr." but failed to present a comparably great performance ever since. She's just good enough not to ruin the intensity of this movie.
"Eastern Promises" is aesthetic, explicit and thrilling. There are some scenes you won't forget for weeks to come (the sauna fight, the opening sequence). In short, what we have here is a modern classic. One of last year's finest and possibly the best movie David Cronenberg has made so far.
It's a little wonder that there haven't been too many serious movies about the Russian Mafia, yet, so having a movie that takes place in these circles is fascinating all by itself. Cronenberg sets the story up slowly, but nicely. He never falls into the trap of slowing things down too much as he did with his previous two movies. Cronenberg also avoids getting too close to the style of the genre's Big Kahuna, Martin Scorsese. This is a completely original effort, which sets it apart from 2007's snorefest "American Gangster", that didn't contribute anything new to the gangster genre at all.
The cast is, of course, very helpful. Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassell look threatening, cold-blooded and emotional all at the same time. You really forget the actors and start looking at them as the characters they embody. Armin Mueller-Stahl who plays the gangster boss wasn't quite as convincing. During the movie we hear all those cruel and crazy things he's done, but when we see him on screen we can't really imagine that he's capable of all that. The weakest link in the cast, however, is Naomi Watts, who plays the same way she always does and comes across as pretty one-dimensional. She has deservedly gotten a lot of praise for "Mullholland Dr." but failed to present a comparably great performance ever since. She's just good enough not to ruin the intensity of this movie.
"Eastern Promises" is aesthetic, explicit and thrilling. There are some scenes you won't forget for weeks to come (the sauna fight, the opening sequence). In short, what we have here is a modern classic. One of last year's finest and possibly the best movie David Cronenberg has made so far.
A promising affiliate
JohnDeSando13 September 2007
"Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
If Viggo Mortensen fighting naked in a London steam bath with some bad Chechens doesn't interest you, then perhaps I can offer you a second-tier Godfather with strong family "values" and exceptional acting. Director David Cronenberg in Eastern Promises comes through again with realistic violence and depressing ambiance, cast over by a humanity that even the Godfather has trouble matching.
Mid-wife Anna (Naomi Watts) happens on a prostitute's volatile diary in the emergency room. The London Russian mob, vory v zachone, wants it back because it implicates the son of kingpin Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl, Shine) in crimes. Driver to the mob, but good guy deep down, Nikolai (Mortensen), serves as the agent collecting the diary and carrying out the fate of those who have read it. As in most mob stories, loyalty is coin of the realm, so much so that even children of a don are not exempt from the rigid code. As in Dirty Pretty Things, young girls like body parts are bought and sold like slaves in a careless market.
Cronenberg's worlds are usually violent, topsy-turvy, and peopled by bipolar miscreants who have accepted the dangers in hope of riches or power but at the same time fight with themselves over the moral implications. So too in Eastern Promises where a helpless newborn topples a kingmaker and makes virtuous royalty of others. Getting the throne or that royalty is tough for Nikolai, whose naked fight to the death in the bath is a tour de force of violent ballet, even discounting Mortensen's other-worldly physique. Cronenberg's fascination with the body's vulnerability is memorable here, stripped down and utterly alone, like birth and death.
The majesty of Coppola's Godfather is partly here but more diluted; the array of complex characters in the Corleone family just is not duplicated. Yet Mueller-Stahl has Brando's quiet authority and Mortensen Pacino's quietly dangerous charm (when he says, "I live in the zone all the time," you can't help but wonder what secret turmoil lives in his heart). Neither Eastern Promises actor can possibly surpass those Godfather icons, but they and the film are promising affiliates of the royal gangland canon.
If Viggo Mortensen fighting naked in a London steam bath with some bad Chechens doesn't interest you, then perhaps I can offer you a second-tier Godfather with strong family "values" and exceptional acting. Director David Cronenberg in Eastern Promises comes through again with realistic violence and depressing ambiance, cast over by a humanity that even the Godfather has trouble matching.
Mid-wife Anna (Naomi Watts) happens on a prostitute's volatile diary in the emergency room. The London Russian mob, vory v zachone, wants it back because it implicates the son of kingpin Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl, Shine) in crimes. Driver to the mob, but good guy deep down, Nikolai (Mortensen), serves as the agent collecting the diary and carrying out the fate of those who have read it. As in most mob stories, loyalty is coin of the realm, so much so that even children of a don are not exempt from the rigid code. As in Dirty Pretty Things, young girls like body parts are bought and sold like slaves in a careless market.
Cronenberg's worlds are usually violent, topsy-turvy, and peopled by bipolar miscreants who have accepted the dangers in hope of riches or power but at the same time fight with themselves over the moral implications. So too in Eastern Promises where a helpless newborn topples a kingmaker and makes virtuous royalty of others. Getting the throne or that royalty is tough for Nikolai, whose naked fight to the death in the bath is a tour de force of violent ballet, even discounting Mortensen's other-worldly physique. Cronenberg's fascination with the body's vulnerability is memorable here, stripped down and utterly alone, like birth and death.
The majesty of Coppola's Godfather is partly here but more diluted; the array of complex characters in the Corleone family just is not duplicated. Yet Mueller-Stahl has Brando's quiet authority and Mortensen Pacino's quietly dangerous charm (when he says, "I live in the zone all the time," you can't help but wonder what secret turmoil lives in his heart). Neither Eastern Promises actor can possibly surpass those Godfather icons, but they and the film are promising affiliates of the royal gangland canon.
Minimal sketch of a Plot
Kiers7710 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is based on one cool gimmick: the Russian vory's culture of tattoos. Great. That too, is only explained in the extras on the DVD, but not clear to film-goer.
Other than that..nothing. The character development remains cliché'd and static throughout the film. The cliché is even unbelievable. No family would really spit in a known killer thug's face.
The point of the movie is: there is a gang of sex traffickers in London from Russia. End of Movie. London is not shown, the Vory's world is claustrophobic and closed..but again, this aspect of exposition is not developed in the film.
However(!), Cronenberg has left room for a sequel, as the movie ends SO abruptly! Again, this is at the viewer's expense, because this movie is so threadbare.
Other than that..nothing. The character development remains cliché'd and static throughout the film. The cliché is even unbelievable. No family would really spit in a known killer thug's face.
The point of the movie is: there is a gang of sex traffickers in London from Russia. End of Movie. London is not shown, the Vory's world is claustrophobic and closed..but again, this aspect of exposition is not developed in the film.
However(!), Cronenberg has left room for a sequel, as the movie ends SO abruptly! Again, this is at the viewer's expense, because this movie is so threadbare.
Keeping Promises
moutonbear2522 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
When it comes to films made by veteran Canadian director, David Cronenberg, certain promises are expected to be kept. The name promises something dark and twisted, something gruesome and haunting, something disturbing and seductive. Cronenberg's latest, EASTERN PROMISES, certainly makes good on all these accounts and solidifies his new, more linear but no less disconcerting approach to film-making. Gone are the days of surreal experiments where fetishists get off on colliding cars and the ensuing scars or twin gynecologists playing patients for patsies. Now is the time for the Russian mafia in London to be given a human touch. No, now Mr. Cronenberg is not so concerned with being bizarre as he is with being blunt. As with his last masterpiece, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, Cronenberg has made PROMISES into a straightforward story and morality tale, much to the dismay of film students everywhere. Fear not though, students. Accessibility does not make Cronenberg irrelevant. If anything, it means that brilliantly polished stories about the underbelly of humanity can be told without any unnecessary sentiment, allowing for them to be both provocative and bloody as all hell.
It rains just as much in Cronenberg's London as it does in the real London. The rain ushers in the heavy yet steady hand of this director, whose work always seems to be weighed down by a looming sense of despair and discomfort. Still, though the viewer is pulled into a world where cutting the tips off of fingers and slitting throats is just as normal as a well-balanced breakfast, nothing is so simple as good and evil as absolutes. Like the sky the rain is falling from, everyone is surrounded by an ambiguous grey. Naomi Watts plays a mid-wife named Anna. On one tragic evening, Anna helps to bring a baby into the world at the expense of the very young, heroine-addicted mother's life. She does not want to see the child fall into the system as the girl cannot be identified to find her next of kin so she makes it her mission to find the girl's family before this can happen. It may all seem noble but her saintly act also serves to appease the pain she has felt since the miscarriage of her own child months before. She couldn't save her baby but she can certainly try to help this one. Her search leads her directly to the door of the Russian mafia and this is where she meets Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). At the moment, Nikolai is just the driver but he's got hopes to one day be part of the real family. He would be perfect for the job as he is calculated and cold when he needs to be but then again not so as he also takes the time to encourage the slave sex- worker he's just been with to find a better life. People are complicated; Cronenberg knows this and this is what gives EASTERN PROMISES its depth.
Though regular Cronenberg cinematographer, Peter Suschitzky, guides EASTERN PROMISES with a tranquil glide that sets the pace as both unnerving and engrossing, it is Mortensens's performance as an aspiring mafioso with a nagging sense of compassion that is most memorable and moving. His face is harsh and guarded behind his dark sunglasses and beneath his slicked back, immaculately placed hair lies a mystery that is being heavily protected. His presence is daunting as he steps from a black town car, dressed to match, from his shoes to his gloves. He is naturally imposing and his icy composure and unflinching dedication to his superiors make him frightening without really trying. He is not so much trying to intimidate others into submission though but rather to keep them away. Yet there is something about him that inspires those around him to see a reason to trust him. Perhaps it is his reliability or perhaps it is just that you know once you meet him that you would rather have him on your side than on the other. Mortensen, working with Cronenberg for the second time after his tortured performance in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, is transformed and nearly unrecognizable as Nikolai. And while his character is extremely guarded, he still manages to find himself in a very naked position before the film's end, in what is a shocking and exhilarating fight sequence that finds Cronenberg, as God, going after Nikolai when he is at his most vulnerable. Proving himself to be a vengeful God, Cronenberg punishes his character for allowing himself to relax for three seconds to appreciate his success.
The fight sequence is already being heralded as one for the books that will be talked about for years to come. I have a feeling we will be hearing just as much talk about Mortensen's performance, Steven Knight's script and Cronenberg's direction come awards season. After setting the groundwork with A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (which I actually do prefer over EASTERN PROMISES just because it left me with more on my mind), the mainstream film community seems finally ready to reward one of its veteran contributors. If you're going to sell out, I can't imagine a better way to do it.
It rains just as much in Cronenberg's London as it does in the real London. The rain ushers in the heavy yet steady hand of this director, whose work always seems to be weighed down by a looming sense of despair and discomfort. Still, though the viewer is pulled into a world where cutting the tips off of fingers and slitting throats is just as normal as a well-balanced breakfast, nothing is so simple as good and evil as absolutes. Like the sky the rain is falling from, everyone is surrounded by an ambiguous grey. Naomi Watts plays a mid-wife named Anna. On one tragic evening, Anna helps to bring a baby into the world at the expense of the very young, heroine-addicted mother's life. She does not want to see the child fall into the system as the girl cannot be identified to find her next of kin so she makes it her mission to find the girl's family before this can happen. It may all seem noble but her saintly act also serves to appease the pain she has felt since the miscarriage of her own child months before. She couldn't save her baby but she can certainly try to help this one. Her search leads her directly to the door of the Russian mafia and this is where she meets Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). At the moment, Nikolai is just the driver but he's got hopes to one day be part of the real family. He would be perfect for the job as he is calculated and cold when he needs to be but then again not so as he also takes the time to encourage the slave sex- worker he's just been with to find a better life. People are complicated; Cronenberg knows this and this is what gives EASTERN PROMISES its depth.
Though regular Cronenberg cinematographer, Peter Suschitzky, guides EASTERN PROMISES with a tranquil glide that sets the pace as both unnerving and engrossing, it is Mortensens's performance as an aspiring mafioso with a nagging sense of compassion that is most memorable and moving. His face is harsh and guarded behind his dark sunglasses and beneath his slicked back, immaculately placed hair lies a mystery that is being heavily protected. His presence is daunting as he steps from a black town car, dressed to match, from his shoes to his gloves. He is naturally imposing and his icy composure and unflinching dedication to his superiors make him frightening without really trying. He is not so much trying to intimidate others into submission though but rather to keep them away. Yet there is something about him that inspires those around him to see a reason to trust him. Perhaps it is his reliability or perhaps it is just that you know once you meet him that you would rather have him on your side than on the other. Mortensen, working with Cronenberg for the second time after his tortured performance in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, is transformed and nearly unrecognizable as Nikolai. And while his character is extremely guarded, he still manages to find himself in a very naked position before the film's end, in what is a shocking and exhilarating fight sequence that finds Cronenberg, as God, going after Nikolai when he is at his most vulnerable. Proving himself to be a vengeful God, Cronenberg punishes his character for allowing himself to relax for three seconds to appreciate his success.
The fight sequence is already being heralded as one for the books that will be talked about for years to come. I have a feeling we will be hearing just as much talk about Mortensen's performance, Steven Knight's script and Cronenberg's direction come awards season. After setting the groundwork with A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (which I actually do prefer over EASTERN PROMISES just because it left me with more on my mind), the mainstream film community seems finally ready to reward one of its veteran contributors. If you're going to sell out, I can't imagine a better way to do it.
Not as good as i tought it would be.
rarepeperonis24 September 2019
Good mob movie but nothing spectacular maybe i had too high expectations because of people comparing this to Goodfellas Casino or Godfather
The love story at the end felt forced and Tatianna Russian accent in naration was awful obvious french canadian actress trying her best at a russian cliché accent.
why do all the russian characters speak english to each other didn't make any sense to me.
Shower scene is a classic tho well shot. Realistic cuts and bruises.
Ending tho was terrible and anticlimactic.
The love story at the end felt forced and Tatianna Russian accent in naration was awful obvious french canadian actress trying her best at a russian cliché accent.
why do all the russian characters speak english to each other didn't make any sense to me.
Shower scene is a classic tho well shot. Realistic cuts and bruises.
Ending tho was terrible and anticlimactic.
deep in rich characterizations, unpretentious in style, perfect performances, one of the year's best!
Quinoa198415 September 2007
David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises takes on, in the broadest stroke, the Russian mafia. But it's not that broad, per-say, so much as it takes on the atmosphere of an organized crime family, of the terror that is just completely seething under the surface, and comes up like pus out of a boil when heated. The Russian underworld of London isn't too pretty, and rivalries are settled often with the slice of a throat by a shaving knife (as happens towards the beginning of the film, and later on in a graveyard, put to a splendid jump-cut to an accordion player), with the members initiated through specific tattoos on the torso and knees. And when the most unexpected happens, like a terrible rape/pregnancy/birth via a 14 year old girl, the repercussions could be even more severe than a murder rap. I loved getting immersed into the nature of the people, of the violence, the threat of it, the joys submerged with lots and lots of vodka (it could be a stereotype, but then what would a stereotype be if it weren't true in the ugliest form), and at the same time always outsiders to British society.
It's an insulated world, where double-edged personalities are common, especially if a crime boss/father like Armin Mueller-Stahl's character Semyon and at one time he has to be kind and compassionate to those outside of the circle. Like Naomi Watts's midwife character, who first comes to him about this mystery baby and a girl's diary written in Russian. But there's always the sensation, even early on, that he's a lot more sinister, a lot more cruel and vicious than he would let on to any "ordinary" person, and this is all the more apparent in his quick outbursts against his son Kirill (Vincent Cassell). Kirill, of course, is like a lone black sheep of the family, who gets into trouble with other families, usually through killing somebody in all late hours of the night. Nikolai (Mortensen) is the driver/bodyguard/foot-soldier to Kirill and the rest of the family, and has a bond that goes beyond what Kirill has- he's really like a 'good' son, if anything at all, to Seymon. Some of the best scenes in any Cronenberg film are those that are filled with an unspoken tension, and understanding of the dynamics, when Nikolai settles a situation between Seymon and Kirill, or those subdued homo-erotic moments from Kirill to Nikolai.
Many of those scenes, the whole story arc of Nikolai, is a truly compelling tale that soon reveals itself- and not to reveal too much here as to make it spoiling- as part of Cronenberg's aesthetic of the double-sided nature of a man, or the duality inherent in certain types. But suffice to say, it's one of the coolest examples, even if it might seem almost conventional at first, because of what Nikolai's future will come to following the fight he has in the steam-house. While we see the more emotional story of Anna who, like Nikolai, is an outsider who is put into a somewhat torn situation (albeit Nikolai, unlike Anna, is far more cunning, and as he says to her at one point he is a 'bad' guy), her side of the story is more of something to keep things moving along- the fate of the diary, the baby, the whole ball of wax of secrets surrounding the mother's death and so on. This is all still compelling, in sad voice-overs, but somehow Anna's side is more of a base-line to the saga of the Russian family, which is appropriate. Her ending, which seems tidied up on the surface, has an open-ending that feels almost TOO tidy- however if you're thinking that ambiguity is lacking, it actually nears up to what History of Violence offered in a 'what next' kind of query to the audience.
As modern thrillers should be, as Cronenberg and his screenwriter knows, Eastern Promises is efficient, startling, and often as entertaining as the goofiest moments of any film by the director. Only here its in little moments of dialog (was Anna's uncle in the KGB...maybe not, but as an auxiliary?), not so much in outrageousness or super-gore. And yet it's also probably even more violent, if only in the suddenness, than History of Violence; the much hyped steam-room right with Mortensen fending off the two gangsters lives up to it, as it's as visceral as Oldboy's classic sequence, and with an energy and shock value that made everyone in the audience I saw it with yelp and cringe. But Cronenberg isn't simply going by shock value here- Eastern Promises is very strong as classic storytelling, and even better in the acting department. Mortensen is one of Cronenberg's very best male collaborator/stars, and here his work is, if anything, more subtle and textured than the last one (which is saying a lot of both director and actor); Mueller-Stahl gives maybe his best performance since the 80s, a sure Oscar contender if I've ever seen one; Watts is sublime in a role that requires her mostly to be uneasy around Russian mobsters and frightened by the fear all around the situation; Cassell is about as taut as can be imaginable, and at the same time projecting the pathetic subtext to Kirill's boasting masculinity and stupidity.
If you're planning on seeing any crime movie this year- that isn't directed by the Coen brothers- and one that is atmospheric without hyper-stylization, and grips the intellect just as much as the emotions, Eastern Promises is it. In a career of some of the most challenging probes of men on the edge of sanity and/or reason, Cronenberg continues to strike where the iron is hot, or just not seen to even be considered grounds for striking at all.
It's an insulated world, where double-edged personalities are common, especially if a crime boss/father like Armin Mueller-Stahl's character Semyon and at one time he has to be kind and compassionate to those outside of the circle. Like Naomi Watts's midwife character, who first comes to him about this mystery baby and a girl's diary written in Russian. But there's always the sensation, even early on, that he's a lot more sinister, a lot more cruel and vicious than he would let on to any "ordinary" person, and this is all the more apparent in his quick outbursts against his son Kirill (Vincent Cassell). Kirill, of course, is like a lone black sheep of the family, who gets into trouble with other families, usually through killing somebody in all late hours of the night. Nikolai (Mortensen) is the driver/bodyguard/foot-soldier to Kirill and the rest of the family, and has a bond that goes beyond what Kirill has- he's really like a 'good' son, if anything at all, to Seymon. Some of the best scenes in any Cronenberg film are those that are filled with an unspoken tension, and understanding of the dynamics, when Nikolai settles a situation between Seymon and Kirill, or those subdued homo-erotic moments from Kirill to Nikolai.
Many of those scenes, the whole story arc of Nikolai, is a truly compelling tale that soon reveals itself- and not to reveal too much here as to make it spoiling- as part of Cronenberg's aesthetic of the double-sided nature of a man, or the duality inherent in certain types. But suffice to say, it's one of the coolest examples, even if it might seem almost conventional at first, because of what Nikolai's future will come to following the fight he has in the steam-house. While we see the more emotional story of Anna who, like Nikolai, is an outsider who is put into a somewhat torn situation (albeit Nikolai, unlike Anna, is far more cunning, and as he says to her at one point he is a 'bad' guy), her side of the story is more of something to keep things moving along- the fate of the diary, the baby, the whole ball of wax of secrets surrounding the mother's death and so on. This is all still compelling, in sad voice-overs, but somehow Anna's side is more of a base-line to the saga of the Russian family, which is appropriate. Her ending, which seems tidied up on the surface, has an open-ending that feels almost TOO tidy- however if you're thinking that ambiguity is lacking, it actually nears up to what History of Violence offered in a 'what next' kind of query to the audience.
As modern thrillers should be, as Cronenberg and his screenwriter knows, Eastern Promises is efficient, startling, and often as entertaining as the goofiest moments of any film by the director. Only here its in little moments of dialog (was Anna's uncle in the KGB...maybe not, but as an auxiliary?), not so much in outrageousness or super-gore. And yet it's also probably even more violent, if only in the suddenness, than History of Violence; the much hyped steam-room right with Mortensen fending off the two gangsters lives up to it, as it's as visceral as Oldboy's classic sequence, and with an energy and shock value that made everyone in the audience I saw it with yelp and cringe. But Cronenberg isn't simply going by shock value here- Eastern Promises is very strong as classic storytelling, and even better in the acting department. Mortensen is one of Cronenberg's very best male collaborator/stars, and here his work is, if anything, more subtle and textured than the last one (which is saying a lot of both director and actor); Mueller-Stahl gives maybe his best performance since the 80s, a sure Oscar contender if I've ever seen one; Watts is sublime in a role that requires her mostly to be uneasy around Russian mobsters and frightened by the fear all around the situation; Cassell is about as taut as can be imaginable, and at the same time projecting the pathetic subtext to Kirill's boasting masculinity and stupidity.
If you're planning on seeing any crime movie this year- that isn't directed by the Coen brothers- and one that is atmospheric without hyper-stylization, and grips the intellect just as much as the emotions, Eastern Promises is it. In a career of some of the most challenging probes of men on the edge of sanity and/or reason, Cronenberg continues to strike where the iron is hot, or just not seen to even be considered grounds for striking at all.
Felt somewhat incomplete
SoumikBanerjee199623 June 2023
A well-acted, decently crafted and adequately paced crime drama that, for some odd reason, came across as incomplete. The script built the world with enough competence. It had some exciting ideas to play around with, yet the conclusive result failed to establish any authority, and I would like to blame the writer, Steven Knight, solely; had he accorded the proper amount of time and space for his characters as well as the plot to flourish, it would have been a much different outcome in its entirety. Alas! That wasn't meant to be.
P. S. Viggo Mortensen did his job respectably; this was one of his finer performances for sure.
P. S. Viggo Mortensen did his job respectably; this was one of his finer performances for sure.
From Russia with Violence
claudio_carvalho22 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In London, the Russian pregnant teenager Tatiana arrives bleeding in a hospital, and the doctors save her baby only. The Russian descendant midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) finds Tatiana's diary written in Russian language in her belongings and decided to find her family to deliver the baby, she brings the diary home and ask her uncle Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski) to translate the document. Stepan refuses, but Anna finds a card of a restaurant owned by the Russian Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) inside the diary and she visits the old man trying to find a lead to contact Tatiana's family. When she mentions the existence of the diary, Semyon immediately offers to translate the document. However, Stepan translates part of the diary and Anna discovers that Semyon and his sick son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) had raped Tatiana when she was fourteen years old and forced her to work as prostitute in a brothel of their own. Further, Semyon is the dangerous boss of the Russian mafia "Vory v Zakone", jeopardizing the safety of Anna and her family. Meanwhile, Semyon's driver Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen) gets close to Kirill and Semyon, climbing positions in the criminal organization, but he helps Anna, her family and the baby.
After "A History of Violence", David Cronenberg makes another engaging an d violent thriller with the excellent actor Viggo Mortensen. His character recalls the one he performed in the magnificent "American Yakuza" in the beginning of his successful career. After the Italian mobsters, Latin drug dealers and Yakuza, it seems that Russian Mafia and human trafficking are the present mobster organization and business explored by the cinema industry. In addition to the great direction of Cronenberg, the performances of Vincent Cassell and Armin Mueller-Stahl are top-notch and Naomi Watts is efficient as usual. In the end, "Eatern Promises" is a great entertainment. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Senhores do Crime" ("Lords of the Crime")
After "A History of Violence", David Cronenberg makes another engaging an d violent thriller with the excellent actor Viggo Mortensen. His character recalls the one he performed in the magnificent "American Yakuza" in the beginning of his successful career. After the Italian mobsters, Latin drug dealers and Yakuza, it seems that Russian Mafia and human trafficking are the present mobster organization and business explored by the cinema industry. In addition to the great direction of Cronenberg, the performances of Vincent Cassell and Armin Mueller-Stahl are top-notch and Naomi Watts is efficient as usual. In the end, "Eatern Promises" is a great entertainment. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Senhores do Crime" ("Lords of the Crime")
Low-key, atmospheric crime drama.
rmax3048237 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
David Cronenberg must be growing up. His early movies depended largely on the shock value of disgusting special effects. Watching them was like skimming through a medical text of skin diseases. Then he made "Dead Ringers," which was vertigenously creepy without being revolting. And now "Eastern Promises," which is a richly atmospheric story of the Russian mafia set in London. There are two or three scenes of violence, but mostly brief in their gore.
The problem here is that Cronenberg has dispensed with much of the facile special effects but, unlike "Dead Ringers", there isn't a single dramatic trajectory to replace them. The characters and the status-sphere they inhabit are confusing.
Well -- the story first. Naomi Watts is a London nurse who attends a birth at which the underage mother dies and the baby girl is saved. Watts finds a diary in the girl's purse, written in Russian, and her attempts to have it translated by a local restaurateur, Armin Mueller-Stahl, leads to some sticky business with the Russian mob. It seems the diary reveals that Mueller-Stahl's reckless son is the father of the baby, and has committed some other unsavory and illegal acts. Vigo Mortenson is the Russian go-between, with Watts on one side trying to save the baby, and the mob on the other, trying to cut the throat of anyone who is in a position to endanger the mob and its activities. It's an indication of the script's confused logic that it's never made clear just what these activities are -- something about smuggling something in television sets imported from Afghanistan. It's probably heroin, though no one mentions it.
Watts and her story could easily have been written out of the script, leaving us with a quasi-mafia movie. The Russian gangsters all have complicated family ties, rival mobs, and traitors. They do a lot of fulsome eating in Russian-themed restaurants. (More Russian than the Russian Tea Room used to be.) They have "made men," who wear multiple tattoos. The highest ranking capos have stars of loyalty tattooed over their hearts. The favored murder technique is the slit throat. There are three killings -- the last being a thoroughly brutal one between three men in a Spritzbad.
Performances are pretty good. Naomi Watts is big-eyed and beautiful. Mortenson seems made of steel and speaks slowly and sparely, the way Robert DeNiro did in "The Godfather II." Armin Mueller-Stahl is miscast, in my expert and unimpeachable opinion. He's not a ruthless capo. He's somebody nice uncle who shows up with Christmas presents. About a third of the dialog is in Russian and the accents are passable, especially considering that none of the main players are Russian, but rather American of Danish descent, Welsh, German, French, and Polish. I don't claim this judgment is flawless but I believe my friend Julieta Vladimirovna would back me up on it. Or maybe she wouldn't. Let's not ask her.
The pace of the movie is slow and deliberate, which doesn't help clear up any of the confusion. Much of the time, it rather sits there with the animation of a stuffed golupke. It's worth seeing because of the luscious texture, the settings, but probably not worth seeing twice.
The problem here is that Cronenberg has dispensed with much of the facile special effects but, unlike "Dead Ringers", there isn't a single dramatic trajectory to replace them. The characters and the status-sphere they inhabit are confusing.
Well -- the story first. Naomi Watts is a London nurse who attends a birth at which the underage mother dies and the baby girl is saved. Watts finds a diary in the girl's purse, written in Russian, and her attempts to have it translated by a local restaurateur, Armin Mueller-Stahl, leads to some sticky business with the Russian mob. It seems the diary reveals that Mueller-Stahl's reckless son is the father of the baby, and has committed some other unsavory and illegal acts. Vigo Mortenson is the Russian go-between, with Watts on one side trying to save the baby, and the mob on the other, trying to cut the throat of anyone who is in a position to endanger the mob and its activities. It's an indication of the script's confused logic that it's never made clear just what these activities are -- something about smuggling something in television sets imported from Afghanistan. It's probably heroin, though no one mentions it.
Watts and her story could easily have been written out of the script, leaving us with a quasi-mafia movie. The Russian gangsters all have complicated family ties, rival mobs, and traitors. They do a lot of fulsome eating in Russian-themed restaurants. (More Russian than the Russian Tea Room used to be.) They have "made men," who wear multiple tattoos. The highest ranking capos have stars of loyalty tattooed over their hearts. The favored murder technique is the slit throat. There are three killings -- the last being a thoroughly brutal one between three men in a Spritzbad.
Performances are pretty good. Naomi Watts is big-eyed and beautiful. Mortenson seems made of steel and speaks slowly and sparely, the way Robert DeNiro did in "The Godfather II." Armin Mueller-Stahl is miscast, in my expert and unimpeachable opinion. He's not a ruthless capo. He's somebody nice uncle who shows up with Christmas presents. About a third of the dialog is in Russian and the accents are passable, especially considering that none of the main players are Russian, but rather American of Danish descent, Welsh, German, French, and Polish. I don't claim this judgment is flawless but I believe my friend Julieta Vladimirovna would back me up on it. Or maybe she wouldn't. Let's not ask her.
The pace of the movie is slow and deliberate, which doesn't help clear up any of the confusion. Much of the time, it rather sits there with the animation of a stuffed golupke. It's worth seeing because of the luscious texture, the settings, but probably not worth seeing twice.
load of crap, this coming from a Russian
fjodor136 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I was quite interested when i saw Hollywood coming out with films about Russian gangsters, cause i kinda thought that it was pretty much an unexplored subject. The film i chose to see was eastern promises. I really am a fan of a good gangster movie. I think Goodfellas was brilliant, once upon a time in America was good as well, even scarface with its overblown at that time violence had something to say or show, but when it came to eastern promises i was really let down. I haven't seen such a load of crap in a long long time. OK, Russian mafia is into skin trade, OK, they do tattoos, they like vodka, OK. But what the F... was this? Viggo Mortensen is a great actor, and i think his performance was the only thing OK about this film, but even he cant save this awful script. All they really do is drink some, go to a whorehouse, kill a guy or 2 and then go drink some more only to finally go sobbing like a little girl. I lived in St.petersburg for a long time, so may be gangsters there are different from the ones migrated to London, but there is not one link of authenticity to this movie. The people i met who were gangsters were some reaalyy scary bad .... mf, not the schoolyard bullys portrayed in this movie. Im really sorry if this is how Hollywood sees Russian gangsters cause the people that are studying to be policeoficers at this time are in for one nasty surprise if they think that Russian gangsters are the way they are in this movie. If u want to see something at least remotely authentic, rent brother "Brat" in Russian
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