Eastern Promises

Wilsford's Review
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Notable Characters:
Viggo Mortensen – Nikolai Luzhin
Naomi Watts – Anna Khitrova
Armin Mueller-Stahl - Semyon

Plot (contains spoilers): Anna Khitrova, a midwife in a London hospital, has a fourteen-year-old pregnant girl die while giving birth. After finding the girl’s diary, she seeks out information so that the baby may be passed on to the family. Unfortunately the diary contains information that could put a local Russian mob boss, Semyon, in jail. After coming in contact with Semyon, not knowing his true colors, Anna finds herself in the middle of a power struggle within the mob. The driver of Semyon’s son, Nikolai, takes a liking to Anna and in the end helps her get free from danger. Meanwhile, Nikolai plays his cards right and gets promoted. However he is set up so that he could take the fall for Semyon’s son. After a bathhouse rumble, Nikolai emerges victorious and helps Anna prove that Semyon is the father of baby because he was the one that had raped the girl and as a result, Semyon is put in jail and Nikolai takes over as boss.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:
• Pace of the movie was uneven. The movie started out intense with a very violent “whacking”. After that it seemed to slow down, only to pick up and slow down again.
• The description of the movie led me to believe that the story line of Anna caught in the middle of a mob war was a big part of the movie and I was let down. I didn’t think that it was a big part, it seemed that, at best, it was a side story that didn’t really need to be paid attention to.
• The bathhouse rumble. This fight scene was graphic in violence and Viggo’s little trooper.

Reason why I liked it:
• The bathhouse fight scene. Probably my favorite part of the movie. The reality of the scene was authentic and while I do feel uncomfortable intimate with Viggo as a result, it doesn’t take away that it is the best fight scene I have ever seen.
• Viggo’s acting. At first I didn’t think that he made a good Russian but as the movie progressed I think he made it more believable and thus brought out a great performance.
• Armin Mueller-Stahl’s acting. He played the mob boss and was awesome. When you first meet him he seems like a nice guy wanting to help but after the initial meeting there is an unusual creepiness about him. That creepiness proves correct when he brings out his absolute ruthlessness. Armin played this character well and showed how seemingly normal people can have a horrible side to them.

Final Notes:
Did not expect to like this movie but was pleasantly surprised. It is the best movie of the fall so far and if you like movies with plot twists, this one is for you.

Young's Review
There have been many great movies made about the mafia in America. As it turns out, the Russian mob is just as intriguing.

'Eastern Promises' is the latest effort from director David Cronenberg and should go down in film history as one of the best movies ever made about organized crime. I give this movie an enthusiastic thumbs up. However, I offer this disclaimer: this movie is not for the faint of heart. The level of violence is extremely high. A scene where the main character is attacked by two men in a steam room is as graphic, in terms of blood and gore, as I have ever seen in a non-horror movie.

Viggo Mortenson, who previously teamed with Cronenberg in 2005's 'A History Of Violence', shines in the role of Nikolai, a chauffeur for a Russian mob family based in London. Nikolai's primary responsibility is driving around Kirrill (Vincent Cassel), the immature son of crime boss Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). The performances of Cassel and Mueller-Stahl were the highlights of the movie. Cassel brought a sense of insecurity to Kirrill that fit the character perfectly and Mueller-Stahl was brilliant as the quietly intimidating Semyon.

Naomi Watts also stars in the film as Anna, a midwife who is trying to protect the newborn daughter of a prostitute who died in labor. Watts does an admirable job with limited screen time. Watts genuinely conveyed the fear Anna felt in protecting the child.

There is a sharp plot twist near the end that added to the enjoyment of the film. This movie had an interesting story and believable characters. It is definitely one of the top movies of the year and deserving of Oscar buzz. I highly recommend this film to fans of the mafia genre.

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