Eastern Promises (4KUHD)

It's now 2009, and you would think that we would learn from our mistakes when it comes to bad movies . . . uh-huh. These past years, we've been tortured by three family-friendly High School Musical films, poor comedies like The Love Guru, teenage garbage such as 13 Going on 30, sappy fantasies like Eragon, etc. But hey, at least many of the action films were good to watch. Even though I'm in my early 20's, I'm a bit saddened that today's generation has ignored many classic films such as The Godfather and 2001: A Space Odyssey. And come on, The Dark Knight is a great movie and all, but it shouldn't be the ONLY film to watch in your lifetime! However, there is still hope. We have seen excellent movies from 2000 to present. No Country for Old Men, Donnie Darko, Hot Fuzz and Letters from Iwo Jima are just a few. One of them I particularly enjoyed watching straight through is Eastern Promises. It's not only one of the few films in this generation that's strictly for ADULTS, but it's also one of the two darkest and most violent thrillers of 2007 (right next to No Country For Old Men).This film starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts is a relief from all the politically correct films we've seen for some time. There are some downright disturbing stuff going on. Anna Khitrova (Watts), who works at a hospital, has been informed that a fourteen-year old girl has just died of childbirth. She finds the girl's diary and discovers the painful truth: the girl named Tatiana was part of a notorious Russian prostitution ring, and that the ones who are partly responsible are right here in London. Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl play the "thieves in law" who try to make sure that the truth is never revealed to the authorities.And it's not only the plot that's disturbing. There are scenes in which blood and gore takes center stage (the infamous bathhouse scene, for example). And there are plenty of major plot twists (if you want to know what they are, then watch the film). Mortensen was perfectly cast as Nikolai. He avoids the "Lord of the Rings" typecasting and goes on to act with a very good Russian accent. Watts gives a lovely performance as Anna; I could see no one else playing the part. Cassel as Kiril looks to be someone you would love to hate at first, but when the film nears its end, you can't really tell if you really do. Mueller-Stahl as Semyon is definitely the one we would love to hate, and he does a hell of a job at that. The supporting cast have it down good, also, so no complaints here.The reason I watched Eastern Promises was because I have a deep interest in Russian history, culture, and mythology. This clearly exceeded my expectations. It's one of the best films of 2007. It's too bad, though, that some people of this generation won't be very pleased when they get a chance to see this, because it's so dark and disturbing. Well, it's safe to say that I admire the film, and I hope there will be another film this year that will be as stupendous as this one.Grade: A+

The consequences of the mob and modern slavery

Being somewhat experienced in Russian culture (from an outsider looking in), I often cringe at the way Russians are depicted in movies...especially when it comes to bad accents and not really looking or acting like Russians. In "Eastern Promises," the actor with the worst accent actually gets killed first...probably for having one. But the rest of the main characters are largely excellent. Viggo Mortensen proves once again that he is a masterful actor, playing the complex role of a ruthless Russian torpedo who struggles at times to live up to his reputation after meeting a nurse played by Naomi Watts. Armin Mueller-Stahl, with his shockingly blue eyes, is also brilliant (if not more so) as the Russian mafia boss, whose subtle choice of words behind a fatherly persona is as menacing as it is fascinating to watch. The story is engrossing and tense with well-crafted characters throughout. Kudos to director David Cronenberg for making a gangster film that compares favorably with the masterworks of Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola. The only warning I have is that this movie is extremely violent...which will likely be off-putting to those who could barely tolerate the violence in "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas." Other than that, I highly recommend it. This one should be bumped up to classic.

EASTERN PROMISES is a late-period offering from David Cronenberg and while it only touches on his body fixation, the story is thoroughly engrossing and backed up by some excellent performances. The gist of the story is that a Russian girl dies in childbirth, and the attending nurse (Naomi Watts) discovers a diary in the girl's personal effects which she takes home with her in hopes that she can find the name of a relative or an address of some kind. This search brings her into contact with a Russian mob family who might have something to do with the girl, but are also dealing with issues of their own. The father is played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, the son by Vincent Cassel and the driver by Viggo Mortensen.So, going in order: Armin Mueller-Stahl is one of those actors that you would recognize if you saw him in a movie, but might not remember his name. He usually does a decent job, but here he was outstanding. He made being authoritative and menacing look so effortless. Vincent Cassel also did an excellent job as his ne'er-do-well son. He brought a sleazy quality to his character that made him really unlikeable, but at the same time pitiful. Then there's Viggo Mortensen, who I think gives his best performance to date here as Nikolai, the driver with a mysterious past. He is soft-spoken, but also has a certain amount of gravitas which adds weight to his performance. Finally, Naomi Watts is serviceable as the nurse who gets in over her head. I wouldn't say she was at the level of the other members of the cast, but she didn't stick out too much.Story-wise, the film was rather restrained. It continued Cronenberg's recent trend of letting his body horror elements take a backseat and letting the drama unfold in a more conventional way. There aren't any earthshaking twists, but there are a few welcome surprises. What I liked, even though it could have been explored more fully, is the roles of tattoos in Russian mafia culture. Overall, I enjoyed that aspect of the film the most. There was also some of Cronenberg's trademark graphic violence, punctuated in a couple short but effective scenes. However, the centerpiece of the film is a fight in a bathhouse between Viggo Mortensen and some Chechen gangsters. Most impressive is that he does it completely in the nude with his tattoos in full view, making it a character-building moment as well as a thrilling fight scene.Overall, while it dials back on what Cronenberg made his name doing, it is an interesting story with excellent performances across the board. I'm still not sure what the title has to do with the story as a whole, other than Russians are from Eastern Europe, but for what it's worth I liked it a lot. Save for the narrative being a little too divided at times, this new "conventional" Cronenberg works, and I enthusiastically recommend it.

dam good movie glad i got, viggo was great