David Cronenberg Eastern Promises
Oscar-nominated Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Thriller
Deceit and mystery surround a Russian mob family in Northern London; there's great tension, violence and a naked bathhouse fight sequence, all worth checking out.
Eastern Promises is the newest David Cronenberg film out on DVD and his second collaboration with Viggo Mortensen. It co-stars Armin Mueller-Stahl and Naomi Watts and has been nominated for several awards, including Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globes. This dark tale reveals what happens when the Russian Mafia crosses paths with an outsider - with betrayal and double-crosses woven throughout.
The Story
Two seemingly unrelated events begin the story--a gruesome Mafia killing and a hemorrhaging pregnant fourteen-year-old. The young girl dies after giving birth, leaving behind only a mysterious diary written in Russian. Anna (Watts), the midwife, feels obligated to find the baby's family but unwittingly finds herself among a powerful family in the Vory V Zakone, and those likely to blame for the girl's condition. Initially, she seeks the father's, Semyon's (Mueller-Stahl), help in translating the diary, but it is her worst mistake.
Nikolai (Mortensen) is the brigde between these two worlds -- though he constantly dismisses himself as "only a driver." He does play chaffeur to the family but he is also in the service of Semyon's loose cannon of a son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and clearly looking to be accepted into the family. The murder that began the story was Kirill's doing, unapproved by his father, and harsh consequences between families will start things unraveling rapidly. Having learned more of the family and their role in the girl's life, Anna continues to fight for information about the baby's family and some sense of justice for the mother's death. Kirill's foolish killing gives Semyon a motive to need Nikolai in the family, but suspense, mystery and deceit await everyone.
A Very Thorough Actor
Much has been made of Viggo Mortensen's performance, and rightly so. This intense actor has a great reputation for character research and it shows especially in this film. Mortensen traveled alone (usually without a translator) to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Siberia (the latter of which is the region of his impressive accent). He studied the gangs of the Vory V Zakone, met with Russian gangland bosses, and all his Russian dialogue sounds as fluent as if a native were speaking. He also read books on Russian prison culture and studied the role of prison tattoos as crime résumés; the meticulous detail of the tattoo artists paid off. One night in a London pub, Mortensen chose not to wash off his tattoos (four hours in the makeup chair, after all). The fear and tension on Soviet faces made it abundantly clear they seemed quite authentic.
Minor Flaws, Worth Watching
The execution of the story is strong and compelling, though the story's resolution doesn't deliver the same punch as the tense first hour. It feels abrupt and the complex plot comes to a quick end without complete resolution. We don't learn as much as we'd like about Mortensen's character, though admittedly, his own story was never meant to be in the forefront. Still, it added wonderful depth and mystery, and it's clear in the ending that a new chapter is ready to unfold. It's a rare film that leaves you wanting to know more.
Eastern Promises is highly worth watching, even with its minor flaws. Great characters and a well-told story (Cronenberg has such a flair for visuals, violence and intense characters) comprise the film; it's very gritty and there's a real element of raw terror in some of the more violent scenes (nothing like fighting buck naked in a slippery bath house to give someone an extra challenge). It's not for the faint of heart, but anyone who can appreciate a good Mafia drama (or just great character study) should certainly check this film out.
