Eastern Promises

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Starring: Viggo Mortensen

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Run Time: 100 min.

Release Date: September 2007

On The Web: Official Site

Teaser: Movie Trailer

Reviewed by Byron Merritt

Discovering a David Cronenberg film can be touchy at best. He’s one of those hit or miss directors ...or at least he has been. Swinging wildly between the obtuse and the flat-out bizarre, Cronenberg is a challenging film maker to say the least. From his pathetic beginnings as a short film maker to his wobbly movie length debut with STEREO (1969), Cronenberg’s early repertoire is, shall we say, less than inspiring. But then he started having fun and came up with the head bursting SCANNERS (1981), which got a “cult” label quickly attached to it. Then came the creepy and highly successful VIDEODROME (1983) and — my personal favorite — THE DEAD ZONE (1983) starring a very young Christopher Walken. Even his THE FLY (1986) remake was strange enough to entice most movie-goers. And who could forget NAKED LUNCH (1991)

‘Nough said.

But then Cronenberg fell off of his success ladder. The stale EXISTENZ (1999) and SPIDER (2002) were completely uninspired and rehashed old themes. His attempt at a romantic drama in M. BUTTERFLY (1993) quickly flittered away with little to no notice from critics or audiences.

It appears, however, that Mr. Cronenberg is now back on track with a set of successful films under his belt. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (also starring Viggo Mortensen) was a strange beast but exceptionally well executed in 2005. And now with EASTERN PROMISES, Cronenberg has again hit pay-dirt.

More of a crime-thriller, Eastern Promises has some great acting by almost the entire cast. Viggo Mortensen (LORD OF THE RINGS) has been singled-out by a few award ceremonies and I find this a bit unfair. Naomi Watts (THE PAINTED VEIL) does just as good a job as Viggo. Her portrayal of a pretty young London nurse trying to help an orphaned baby who’s mother was killed by a Russian mob boss is excellent. And so was Vincent Cassel (OCEAN’S THIRTEEN) as the drunken and pitiful Kirill, son of the Russian boss. There’s no denying that Viggo’s Nikolai is creepy, dangerous and carries a pitch-perfect Ural-Russian accent, but his portions didn’t stand out for me anymore than the rest of the cast.

The extra features on the DVD are exceptionally interesting, telling the story of how Viggo researched his role, and the importance that Russian criminals place on body art tattoos (something very prevalent in the film).

Perhaps it’s the pairing of Mortensen and Cronenberg that makes the movies. With two highly praised ones now locked in, this duo seems to know what makes a film fly. Let’s hope Cronenberg realizes this and keeps on with his upward success.

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Image from Eastern Promises

DVD cost: $20.33

Purchase: Tower.com (Blu-Ray)

Film Review Stew Favorite? No.

Stew Poo-Poo? No.

Newsworthy: To prepare for his role, Viggo Mortensen traveled alone to Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Ural Mountain region of Siberia, spending weeks driving around without a translator. He studied the gangs of the vory v zakone (thieves in law), read books on Russian prison culture and the importance of prison tattoos as criminal résumés, and perfected his character's Siberian accent.

Movie Quote: "Stay away from people like me."

Other Actors/Actresses from Eastern Promises

Images from Eastern Promises