Eastern Promises

While searching for information about an orphaned baby, a midwife (Naomi Watts) crosses paths with a soldier (Viggo Mortensen) in the Russian mafia.

Eastern Promises is a visceral, engaging film that, while not the equal of director David Cronenberg’s previous effort, A History of Violence, still ranks as one of his best.

From the opening sequence, Cronenburg makes his mark on the mafia film genre. While directors such as Coppella and Scorcese have explored the themes of family and brutality that run through life in organized crime, Cronenburg makes a point of showing the blood. This is a bloody movie and some will no doubt be put off by the violence, but those that can see past it will be rewarded with layered storytelling and one of the best performances in recent years.

Viggo Mortensen does such a great job playing a low-level Russian gangster, that he doesn’t seem to be playing a Russian at all. His accent and mannerisms all feel real, and the haunting, hungry look in his eyes speaks volumes with a single glance. He never slips, never gives a hint of a western accent, and never gives even a moment’s reason to doubt his authenticity.

If Eastern Promises has a weakness it’s that Steven Knight’s screenplay telegraphs its plot twists, thus robbing them of any real pay-off. But this flaw is more than offset by Cronenburg’s intricate visual style and Mortensen’s knockout performance.