EASTERN PROMISES
In Russian Gangland London, You're Sorry, And I'm Not Sorry
The PopcornReel.com Movie Review: "Eastern Promises"
By Omar P.L. Moore/September 20, 2007
Not that this matters, but during the opening five minutes of
John Woo's "Mission: Impossible II", Rade Sherbedgia tells Tom Cruise, "Dmitri .
. you are sorry, and I am sorry." Moments later, Mr. Cruise says, "You
keep calling me Dmitri. You really shouldn't." After Mr.
Sherbedgia's prompt demise, Mr. Cruise pulls off a face mask to reveal another
actor (Dougray Scott), the film's principal villain. David Cronenberg's
"Eastern Promises" is just like that: a mask torn off a calm but brooding veneer
to reveal something more sinister and shocking underneath. Except the
Russian gangsters inhabiting Mr. Cronenberg's city of choice, London, are not
sorry about what they do, even if their victims are. It is the suddenness
of fate that rivets and enervates the impressive engine that is "Eastern
Promises" (which opened in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto last
week) and the aspects of innocence -- innocence lost and uneasily recovered --
that define the alternating soft and brutal contours of the movie's terrain.
Three or four distinct episodes of graphic violence frame the film, which plays
very much like a macabre fairy tale. Anna, a midwife (Naomi Watts) finds a
diary while on her job -- which contains the kinds of things that innocent
people like Anna shouldn't stumble across. The diary is property of an
Russian mob outfit lurking in London on nefarious business. Armin
Mueller-Stahl is its "Godfather"-like patriarch, while Vincent Cassel is Kirill,
its bratty, childish and ugly duckling. The antagonistic relationship
between these two is continuously moderated by the quietly intense Nikolai (Viggo
Mortensen), who is the driver for the mob, the calm chauffeur who can be counted
on to clean up messes when asked to -- a quintessential "cleaner" or fixer.
Ancestry plays a role in the film and the relationships that develop in its
context. Like the bold and rich look of the film, there are bold acts of
courage, foolish acts of stupidity, and irrational attempts at reason. One
of the most intriguing things about "Eastern Promises" is its irony and
fable-like subtext. Initiation and ritual are also significant in this new
Cronenberg effort -- whether it be a football match (that's soccer for those in
the U.S.) featuring Chelsea (whose successful manager departed the club
yesterday) and Arsenal, or whether it be two very different initiations of
manhood -- everything is calculated in a slow-paced but always interesting film.
Like Night And Day: Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai and Naomi Watts
as Anna in "Eastern Promises", directed by David Cronenberg. The film
opens tomorrow in various additional U.S. and Canadian markets, while continuing
in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. (Photos: Peter
Mountain/Focus Features)
The screenplay by Steven Knight (who also wrote the excellent
"Dirty Pretty Things") introduces words as foreboding weapons.
Descriptions of events penetrate the imagination -- and some of the descriptions
are arguably more intense than some of the violence in the film. One of
the allures of "Eastern Promises", apart from its all-around strong acting
performances and its look (thanks to the amazing cinematography of Peter
Suschitzky) is the re-uniting of Viggo Mortensen (a most underrated actor) with
the film's director. The two conjured up magic in the powerful and
thought-provoking "A History Of Violence" in 2005, and they don't disappoint
here. Those looking for a similar Mortensen character to Tom/Joey may
arguably find it here, but Nikolai is far more interesting and glamorous than
the unvarnished, deeply complex Tom/Joey was in the 2005 movie.
Fans of "Lord of The Rings" will really be in for a surprise during "Eastern
Promises", especially in a scene late in the film that will be much talked
about, particularly and presumably by the female contingent in the audience.
David Cronenberg always finds new ways to stun, provoke and stimulate, and with
the sharply observed "Eastern Promises" it's gratifying to know that nothing has
changed.
And you won't be sorry.
"Eastern Promises" is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of
America for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language
and nudity. The sex is far from the issue in this film. If you can
stomach the film's violent episodes . . . The film's duration is one hour
and 40 minutes. The film is currently playing in New York, Los Angeles,
San Francisco and Toronto and opens tomorrow in numerous additional North
American cities.
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