Rated R for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language and nudity.
100 Minutes

Directed By: David Cronenberg
Written By: Steven Knight
Staring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Josef Altin, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl

Forget any of this happened. Stay away from people like me. -Nikolai

Review

Every time I see Viggo Mortensen in a movie I fall more and more in love with his acting ability.  I’d have to say he is my favorite working actor at the moment.  It was his riveting performance in Eastern Promises that only solidified my opinion that he is the most interesting actor out there today.  Eastern Promises doesn’t jump out and get you like a lot of dramatic thrillers.  It slowly works it’s way underneath your skin, and once it’s there, you can’t escape it’s character’s or grievous story.

Director DavidCronenberg set a slow pace, but somehow managed to convey a sense of urgency.  In a way of simply telling a story, showing a moment in time, just a brief glimpse into this portion of peoples lives from one perspective, was earnestly raw.  The emotion it evoked and with such subtle jabs was entirely unexpected.  You get an almost unassuming feel from the first few scenes but it isn’t long before you realize how bold it’s story telling truly is.

A naive nurse begins the search of a fourteen year old girls family as her death was the result of the birth of her child.  All that is left is her diary, but her English speaking nurse attempts to translate it in order to hunt down the family so the baby isn’t forced into the system.  Somehow she finds herself in the middle of a family despite within the Russian mafia, and a situation far beyond her understanding.  Conflicted by relationships and her sense of duty, not to mention the affection she has developed for the innocent child born from an evil world, makes for a film that carries much content, yet simplistically delivered.

The darkness the movie was shot in emoted a strong feeling of dread and hopelessness.  It was remarkably brutal and shocking, but never for theatrics sake.  He did not shy away from violence as the scene in the bathroom will prove, but the violence was necessary.  There is no way to avoid the darkness of the world that the naive Watts enters.  Each event plays to us just as shocking as it would to her good natured soul. Cronenberg really focused on the people in the film, making it extremely character driven, while casting strong actors that maintained the heavy load before them, excelling to extremes.

Naomi and Viggo together were breathtaking.  The immediate connection between each of them, and the subtleties of each of their performances was pure joy to watch.  So often relationships and chemistry is forced down a viewers throat, but if anything the non-relationship they had felt like it was being stifled by how entirely forbidden and wrong it was. Viggo penetrates you with his eyes, and drives fear into your soul, while showing a glimmer of humanity behind them.  It is no wonder he is respected by his mob boss and family, but it also is clear why Watts develops an attraction for them.  She sees beyond the facade that Viggo so painstakingly created for his character.

Eastern Promises began with the birth of a child and gave it’s tale in the brief time that it’s fate in the world was determined.  With many questions unanswered yet a resolve in the story, it was a truly invigorating glimpse into the life of some very different people thrown into extenuating circumstances.  This morality play was destined for heartbreak, and yet in the midst of all the dark overtones there lied the briefness of hope.  Eastern Promises was a fascinating story with fascinating characters and captivating performances.  Absolutely one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

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