Eastern Promises / Les promesses de l'ombre (Widescreen)

 

 

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I'm actually not sure how to describe this movie, but I'll give it my best shot. First of all, Viggo Mortensen is outstanding as Nikolai, a driver and enforcer for the Russian Mafia, and full time baby-sitter to Kirill, the wayward son of Mafia boss Semyon. He's one cold, emotionless dude when he has to be, but has a human side that peeps out ever so often from behind that steely, chiseled mug.

Vincent Cassel (Kirill) and Armin Mueller-Stahl (Semyon) are also extremely convincing, the former as a violent drunk and the latter as the charming and affable, but very cruel father. Naomi Watts doesn't light up the screen and steal the show as she normally does, but it could be the depressing role of Anna, a midwife who delivers a baby for a fourteen year old girl who doesn't make it off the operating table.

Anne Frank may have left a more famous diary, but the diary of the unfortunate young woman is so revealing that some people are prepared to kill to keep the contents from being brought to light.

Fascinating in some aspects, such as the story behind the tattoos, and graphic in quite a few others, including a memorable scene with a totally nude Viggo battling against guys with linoleum knives, I found some parts a bit too long and drawn out, and some too predictable.

Never-the-less, the acting, the casting and the intensity of this drama make it extremely watchable (if you like this movie genre), and although it isn't going to be one of my favorite movies, it certainly is worth mentioning here.

Amanda Richards

Film noir was (and is) one of the most celebrated sub-genres in American film. Thus it's strange to see how few noirs have been made since their golden age in the forties and fifties. There was Polanski's masterful "Chinatown", the handsomely crafted and atmospheric "L.A Confidential", and if you're willing to stretch the idea, Michael Mann's menacing, dreamy "Collateral" felt rather nourish. And now we have David Conenberg's "Eastern Promises"--at its heart merely a well-made crime mystery, taken up a notch by Cronenberg's grisly, brutal direction--a follow-up to his masterful "A History of Violence", to add to that list of modern noir.

Plot-wise, EP has enough twists and turns to keep viewers interested in its dark, seedy tale. Its central mystery revolves around the diary of a 14-year-old Russian girl, discovered by an English midwife Anna (Naomi Watts) after the girl gives birth and subsequently dies. Since the diary is written in Russian, Anna takes it to a Russian restaurant to get translated (after her bitter Uncle at first refuses). It is here she meets Semyon (Armin-Muehl Stahl), a man who speaks so eloquently you know he's rotten to the core.

And he is. In fact, he's the head of an entire crime syndicate; mostly though, we the audience get to know two members of his entourage: son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and their driver Nikolai (Viggo Mortenson). The performers are all great; Naomi Watts brings some personality to a character who seems to be written with none, Vincent Cassel is memorable, and Stahl's presence radiates with calm power.

Of course, it's Viggo Mortenson's performance everyone is talking about. His presence as a calm, calculated killer is chilling and tense; he's just as great here as his subtle burn in "A History of Violence", his accent unflawed and his rage openly bared. His already infamous fight scene (spectacularly choreographed) is his tour-de-force moment for sure, but it is here where its possible to see what the entire project is: an average thriller made more intense and set apart by Cronenberg's visceral and simply revolting use of violence. Some moments in this film are among the most squeamish you'll ever see, but that's the limit of the film's power.

For whereas "A History of Violence" was relevant, horrifying, masterful, suspenseful and haunting (staying in your mind long after its end; getting under your very nerves even), "Eastern Promises" is merely a passable story served up with the Cronenberg touch. Its ending even felt a little incomplete to me, a few elements unexplained (and not in a good, open-ended way). But against all other contenders out there this season, it's worth a look.

This movie, is heartless and not, heavy. it is not for everyone to enjoy. For a used productcondition. product received it, most people when they shipped their produts are doing an excellent job. it was in excellent

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4.0 out of 5 stars Cronenberg Delivers Again After "A History of Violence"
Eastern Promises may not be a great film, but it certainly is a very good film. Cronenberg gives us a very worthy effort after his wonderful last film, A History of Violence. Read more

Published 18 months ago by A. Wheeler

4.0 out of 5 stars Cronenberg and Mortensen -- and Steve Knight -- get it right
After watching Cronenberg trip himself up with comic book banalities in A History Of Violence, I didn't hold out much hope for Eastern Promises, which on paper reads with the same... Read more

Published on Feb 4 2009 by Darrell Reimer

2.0 out of 5 stars Less Than Mediocre Gangster Film
It is always an uphill battle to criticize a great filmmaker like David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Dead Ringers). Read more

Published on April 4 2008 by K. Driscoll

2.0 out of 5 stars Less Than Mediocre Gangster Film
It is always an uphill battle to criticize a great filmmaker like David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Dead Ringers). Read more

Published on April 4 2008 by K. Driscoll

4.0 out of 5 stars Cronenberg and Mortensen a winning team yet again
"Eastern Promises" is a very engaging film by Canadian director David Cronenberg. It's about a Russian mafia member (Mortensen) who gets tangled up with an British doctor (Naoi... Read more

Published on Jan 12 2008 by Matthew King

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films of 2007!! Eastern Promises delivers!!
Eastern Promises is an amazing film. It's masterpiece. David Cronenberg directs this movie which centers around the Russian mafia and a diary and a newborn baby. Read more

Published on Jan 7 2008 by Vader

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