Eastern Promises: Review

David Cronenberg's films are something of an acquired taste and in most aspects, Eastern Promises fits what it means to be a Cronenberg work to a T. Excessive violence and sexuality fill out the film's narrative and his unflinching gaze forces the audience to bask in the more lewd moments. However, also like the rest of Cronenberg's work, the film is steeped with dense thematic concerns that force the film onto another plane, one in which the audience is forced to examine human nature in a profound and moving way. Eastern Promises is a film that will not soon be forgotten: a riveting crime drama with a heart and a brain, a perfect genre picture that simultaneously entertains while making us think. Built on the mesmerizing performances of its leads, Cronenberg's follow up to 2005's superb A History of Violence, is a sure fire contender for year's best.

For most mainstream moviegoers, Viggo Mortensen will forever be remembered as Strider/Aragorn, his now iconic roles in Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. Unfortunately, many will be missing out on his truly classic performances that, unsurprisingly, have both come under the steady direction of Cronenberg. Soon after the climatic chapter of LotR was released, so was A History of Violence, a picture that largely crept up on people, surprising many who had no clue as to Cronenberg's work. Gone were the days of Scanners or The Fly, in their place was the work of a seasoned cinematic master who followed David Lynch's lead in Blue Velvet and crafted a suburban thriller that begins as a small town drama until layer upon layer are stripped away to reveal the town's violent and seedy core. At that core was the wonderful Mortensen, who led with a quiet confidence that perfectly suited his character. Amazingly, his work in Eastern Promises easily trumps the performance from History.


Here, Mortensen plays Nikolai Luzhin, a low level member of the London Vori v Zakone, the Russian Mob. He begins the film as one of his family's drivers/clean up men. Basically, he's doing the dirty jobs of Mafia life, jobs that Cronenberg depicts gleefully. What may seem like a simple performance is deceptively deep, as his Luzhin's steely, tattooed exterior contradicts his relatively good nature. He is nowhere near as vicious as the gang's boss, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) or his increasingly unstable son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and often times, his compassion clashes with their more hardened mindset. Mortensen is truly stunning, giving an emotionally (and physically, but we'll get to that later) naked performance that is quite simply one of the bravest acting jobs that I have ever seen.

Luckily, Mortensen's counterpart Naomi Watts, who plays Anna Khitrova, a midwife at Trafalgar Hospital, is completely up to the task. As the story begins, we find Anna working the ER, attempting to save a young pregnant teenage girl who has come in with bleeding from her abdomen. The girl, who we later know only as Tatiana, gives birth but dies in the process, leaving Anna with a newborn and Tatiana's diary as the only remaining clues as to this girls life. As Anna sets out to translate the diary and discover a location to bring the baby to, she finds herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the London criminal underworld, involving prostitution and the sex trade. Watts imbues Anna with a strength and determination that makes her an utterly likable character, an important part of the puzzle here. Without Anna's moral purity, the film's harsh tones could quickly have overwhelmed the narrative. However, with Anna as the center, the film takes on a humanistic slant, and despite the violence, there are glimpses of hope scattered sparingly throughout.

The dark alleys and gray, raining skies of London add to the film's grim tone that truly gets under the skin of the viewer. While its difficult to discern what exactly is so lingering about this film, the lasting impact is definite and unquestionable. People left my theater shaken and quiet, as if they had just seen something troubling and unforgettable. Often times the gore is a bit much, causing audience members to shield their eyes and cover their gaping mouths as if to stifle a yell. The audience's shock came to a climax in the film's main set piece, a knife fight in a steam bath. Throughout the nearly five minute sequence, Mortensen is completely exposed, losing his towel covering seconds in and the scene is quite frankly stunning. As an acting performance, it is a brave sacrifice to lend the film realism. Many actors would refuse to do this, but Mortensen gives it his all. Not only does he handle the emotional aspects of the performance with subtlety and grace, he gives his body to this important scene. While it is unlikely due to the graphic nature of his work, Mortensen deserves serious consideration for end of the year accolades.

Eastern Promises is a completely involving masterpiece, Cronenberg's second in a row. The cast is superb throughout (I've only mentioned Cassel and Mueller-Stahl in passing but their performances are amazing as well), Steven Knight's script is intelligent and suspenseful, Howard Shore's score complements the film perfectly and Cronenberg's assured direction brings every piece together. The results of it all are breathtaking, leaving Eastern Promises in a small group with The Departed and Miami Vice as the pinnacles of recent crime dramas. As I mentioned earlier, Cronenberg is an acquired taste and there will be those that will be put off by the violence and subject matter. However, for those who sit through this film will be amply rewarded with a modern examination of life in immigrant London, filled with death and suffering but never lacking life and vitality.


*****