Eastern Promises – 2007
Posted by Scott on 26 Aug 2008 at 01:37 am | Tagged as: Underrated Films
Viggo Mortensen is one of those actors that has quietly carved out an impressive career filled with varied performances. A misanthropic ex-con, smooth-talking drug lord, conflicted Navy Lieutenant, Lucifer, and Aragorn, King of men are just some of the memorable characters Mortensen has ably tackled. However, it’s his recent collaborations with Director David Cronenberg that have garnered him the most accolades. Both A History of Violence and Eastern Promises provided Viggo opportunities to play violent men who deftly circumnavigate criminal worlds.
Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a London midwife, is present at the birth of a baby girl to a teenage Russian prostitute. The young woman dies during pregnancy prompting Anna to seek out relatives for the orphaned baby girl. A business card in the teenager’s diary leads Anna to Semyon, a local restaurant owner and Russian mafia boss. Anna needs the diary translated, so Semyon willingly offers his services. Unaware who Semyon really is, Anna hands over a copy for him to translate. Meanwhile, Anna’s Russian Uncle Stepan reads the diary and reveals Semyon and his loose-cannon son Kirill are responsible for raping the teen and forcing her into prostitution.
An angry Anna goes to confront Semyon but is stopped by Kirill’s driver Nikolai (Mortensen), and intimidating but friendly subordinate. Nikolai takes a liking to Anna and realizes he must protect her from the vindictive Semyon. However, the ambitious Nikolai also has plans of his own. He’s climbing the ranks inside the mafia family with eyes on the power seat. Semyon recognizes Nikolai’s loyalty, but he will do anything to save himself and his son, even if that means sacrificing Nikolai. Threatened by betrayal, Nikolai will place himself in harm’s way in order to save Anna and the baby girl.
Cronenberg, known for choosing odd narratives like Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch and Crash, has hit a couple of home runs with mainstream subject matter. Eastern Promises is a tightly woven plot with a couple clever twists. An intense, grisly bathhouse fight scene highlights a potent story that explores the repercussions of living a criminal life. Mortensen really delivers in a performance that nabbed him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and Watts is equally good playing the courageous Anna. But the highest praise belongs to Armin Mueller-Stahl as Semyon, a grandfatherly mob kingpin with an ice cold heart. Not for the squeamish, Eastern Promises is a solid crime drama worth a look.
The trailer for Eastern Promises:
