Review of Eastern Promises (2007) by Juraj J — 10 Aug 2010

David Cronenberg heads to the seedy and violent underworld of London, it was an ideal follow-up to his modern day western A History of Violence (2005), and it saw Cronenberg reunited with that film's star, who puts in a powerful performance filled with mystery.

Set during one Christmas, this has midwife Anna (Naomi Watts), trying to find out the identity of a Russian girl who died in childbirth. After having the girls diary translated, Anna becomes involved with the Russian Mafia, run by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), with his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), and in the background, their mysterious chauffeur Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen).

Anna digs deeper into who the father of the baby might be, but soon her family comes under threat, and Nikolai seems to be an ominous presence, but you're not exactly sure which side he's on. An excellent and violent gangster film, with some typical Cronenberg hallmarks of identity and violence And there is a lot of violence, from every barbers worse nightmare to a bath house fight.

But it has terrific performances from Mortensen, Watts and all concerned. This isn't just another London gangster film.