Eastern Promises

Grade: A
by Mike Gilday

 
Some might go in to Eastern Promises expecting another A History of Violence, and in many ways they won't be disappointed. Both have an unflinching attention to the gory aftermath of violence, which might seem out of place in their otherwise understated narratives. Yet, in my opinion, they're used to underscore the ruthlessness and violence that these normal people (the film's protagonists) are dragged into or trying to escape from.

Eastern Promises is a story about the Russian Mafia in London. Naomi Watts' character works as a midwife in a hospital, and when a mother dies in childbirth with only a diary in her possession, written in Russian, she goes on a quest to find the girl's family. She ends up getting dragged into a twisted, violent world.

A History of Violence was peppered with some really awesome fight scenes, which albeit brief, made up for their length with intensity. It took me an hour to realize that aside from a few slit throats, Eastern Promises was actually pretty uneventful for the first hour plus. But, I didn't care. I was sucked into the story.

Viggo Mortensen proves he's one of the best actors in film today yet again; though being in the shadow of Aragorn might make some people doubt this. He disappears into his role as Nikolai, adopting a flawless accent, and covering his body with tattoos that, in the Russian mob is their version of cred. You can't get anywhere if you don't have them, they tell your life story. The tattoos are so legit that apparently at lunch one day Viggo found a Russian couple staring at him nervously. After that he started washing them off after shooting.

David Cronenberg is a filmmaker I've only recently discovered. After watching A History of Violence I took notice, and now after seeing this film I'm confident that I have never seen a director handle this kind of material in so subtle a manner. Another filmmaker would have had a gunfight at some point, but the only weapons in the film are a straight razor and linoleum knives. The film also boasts one of the best, most brutal, unflinching and realistic fights I've ever seen in a film. The fact that Viggo is naked through the whole thing makes the actor's performance all the more impressive.

There are many twists in this film, a few I didn't see coming. That says a lot, as I'm usually pretty jaded when it comes to things like this. This movie is out on DVD and worth a pickup, even if it has a pretty naked release as far as special features go.