good back-story, and good acting

Am I Missing Something?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Eastern Promises has been praise as one of David Cronenberg's finest films, for several reasons. Although the film is well acted by it's leads, and the scenery is wonderful, the overall storyline and plot of the film tends to lag and is not as intriguing or entertaining as many make it out to be. Eastern Promise is quite short in running time which in this case there could have been more time to develop other plot points. The main criticism of this film is that the storyline is not intriguing and it is very predictable. And rather boring and bland at times. We understand what will occur throughout, and the suspense is very non- existent. No twists or key points which make the viewers wanted more. The acting is well thought out as Cronenberg is prime with Viggo Mortensen for another collaboration, and Naomi Watts delivers her role thoughtfully. Very few scenes of strong violence, and it is very far and in between. The violence occurs only quickly and is not as stable and throughout or unexpecting as it could have been.

In some ways the spiritual successor to David Cronenberg's previous film 'A History Of Violence', 'Eastern Promises' deals with themes of violence, family, loyalty, betrayal and deceit. This sub-text is handled subtly, despite being rich and begging to be unravelled; it never becomes heavy-handed or detracts from the overall enjoyment of the film. Indeed, both Cronenberg and Steven Knight (the writer) ask questions that are never answered: either because the film wants you to decide, or because a definitive answer is literally impossible. The film lingers with you long after it is over, and a genuinely unexpected surprise makes you want to watch it all over again with fresh eyes.The movie is incredibly realistic, accurately portraying both London's Russian mob and the violent acts they commit. Speaking of which, the violence - while infrequent - is shocking and grizzly: it isn't exaggerated or understated, filmed in an expert manner which makes you almost feel as though you're the one being attacked. A gruelling fight scene later in the film proves this, allowing you to feel like you are really there. You're never sure what is going to happen; characters often hide their true intentions and none of them are ever given a safety net. The performances here are all top-notch, particularly that of Viggo Mortenson and Armin Mueller-Stahl - the former playing a 'driver' for the mob, always inching closer to becoming part of the family, and the latter playing the leader. Mortenson is especially impressive, perfectly carrying himself and speaking with a convincing accent - you could easily mistake him for actually being Russian. All of the accents are pretty good, although Vincent Cassel does sound decidedly French, and no-one gives a bad or unconvincing performance.The story as a whole is pretty small in scope, beginning with the audience in place of Naomi Watts' character - only seeing glimpses of the mob from the outside - before we slowly change perspectives to follow Viggo Mortenson's character - who works his way into the family, and brings the viewer with him. I was compelled throughout the narrative and, though it seemed to loose focus somewhat, thought that it concluded naturally. The ending doesn't truly feel like an ending, with life seeming to continue. Not much has actually changed, though things have been revealed and characters have certainly gone through their arcs. I think that the film ends when it does because the audience has transferred back to following Watts' character and the final scene is the last time she encounters the strange world of the mob. It also wraps up the story involving the baby, who is essentially the driving force of the movie.'Eastern Promises' is a film that lingers on long after the credits have rolled, one that leaves an after-taste which makes it hard to resist revisiting. It becomes infinitely more complex after the first viewing alone. Each character is well-written, with hidden motives and personality traits seamlessly woven into their every action: almost all of them act a certain way to mask their true intentions or desires, and these are hinted at through brilliant acting and an amazing script. The direction is fantastic too, with smooth camera work that effortlessly frames all of the action and several hidden long takes. No cut feels jarring, and at no point was I pulled out of the story to be reminded it is only a film; it had me hooked from beginning to end. Even though it sometimes seems to be going nowhere, after the first viewing everything falls into place.I think this is a very good movie, one that is perhaps underrated and not talked about nearly enough, that features an excellent cast and lead performance; it is expertly written and directed perfectly. 7/10.

The opening scenes in David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" has a man seated in a barber's chair in London, we are left asking ourselves, how will this man die in his own blood. Cronenberg offers his viewers the freedom to make assumptions as well as the liberation for the unfortunate victim not expecting his fate when the straight-edged razor will inflict him in the throat or to when he tries to kick out from possible death by kicking his feet. This commencing scenario is the tip of the iceberg and sets the tone for what is to be a wild ride in thinly plotted low-budgeted film. The following scene takes place in a pharmacy where a cold, drenched bare- footed teenage girl walks into the shop. She is bloody and pregnant and is quickly rushed to Trafalgar General Hospital. This is where we meet a midwife named Anna (Naomi Watts). The young girl dies, but her baby survives though covered in blood. Nobody can identify who the mother is, but all we know is that she's left a journal written in Russian and a restaurant card. Like an amateur detective, Anna sets out on what is a simple assignment to ascertain the dead mother's identity and the biological father of her newborn baby. Two things that need to be unravelled during these opening scenes is that Cronenberg is oblivious to his own actions and that he is much to self-aware of himself that he is pulling of similar traits that he does in most of his movies. Very similar to the opening scenes Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" where Frank Vincent's Billy Batts gets beaten mercilessly to death, Cronenberg's self-awareness stems to the brink of self-parody can't go incognito towards an endless fetching case of aberration. His method of acting is in-your-face and extremely physical. The things that people seem to neglect like the social, public and even spiritual spectrum all materializes through the physical existence and that the spokes of our wheels runs entirely on blood. This is something he doesn't forget let alone something won't let us forget either. So now we have Anna up to the initiative in the bloody atmosphere as she welcomes a new life for this child. Her investigation leads her to man named Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who runs the Trans-Siberian Restaurant who's a potential man in lying in his own pool of blood. Upfront he runs a very successful Ukrainian restaurant, but is also a powerful mob leader underground. He knows that this diary could spell the demise of himself and his entire empire. One of his cronies is his chauffeur Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen in his second Cronenberg film). The first Cronenberg-Mortensen pairing was "The History of Violence" and the alliance between these two are quite stimulating. Mortensen truly feels at home in Cronenberg's visions as he knows his character is up against his worst to come. He seems adjusted to his director's obsessions. For most of the movie Nikolai spends most of the time facing off against Seymon's son Kirill (Vincent Cassel). Having these two opponents is the sign of perfect casting let alone brilliant chemistry. They're close in height, class, colouring and even close in age and both possess handsome features. A classic case of good versus evil. Cassel's menacing appeal is the pivotal reason why he seems to be type-cast as a villain in American films. However in "Eastern Promises", he's playing a more prominent villain because he's able to embody insecurity and has enough gusto to reveal his true self successfully. This might be one of Cassel's best English-speaking performances. Even though the penmanship has changed with Steven Knight was the scriptwriter here, the family resemblance between "Eastern Promises" and "A History of Violence" is quite similar that goes beyond Mortensen in the starring roles in both. Both films feature a vicious mobster involved in the lives of ordinary solid citizens. The narratives are both executed to perfection. Cronenberg skims through the narrative without actually rushing through the movie and gives great depths towards the set-pieces nearby like the Russian Mafia initiation (where the applicant must stand in the nude in front of a judging panel) and an ugly violent mob altercation in a steam room.The one thing that makes "Eastern Promise" inferior to "A History of Violence" is that it was way too compulsory and not as endearing and complex as "A History of Violence". Aside from that minor nitpick, "Eastern Promises" delivers entertainment in the way that David Cronenberg has mastered.

So refreshing to see a mob thriller that doesn't look like a celluloid version of GQ magazine. Obviously Vincent Cassel is excellent, and it's worth remembering Naomi Watts was a very good actress before that Diana film all but destroyed her career… but it's Viggo Mortensen who has the hardest job, playing the strong, silent, misfit anti-hero, but somehow manages to avoid being a massive cliché. And the Turkish Baths scene... Right, when I'm swimming in the sea I sometimes get the feeling that there's a shark swimming about underneath. Of course, there isn't... but that fear was even greater when I happened to be on a nudist beach one year - gentlemen, I'm sure you can understand that! Anyway, I've never seen a hero seem more vulnerable in a fight scene than this one...Watts gets bonus points for a decent English accent.yetanotherfilmreviewblog.tumblr.com