EASTERN PROMISES

"I'm just the driver"

When a teenage woman dies in childbirth, midwife Anna (Watts) takes it on herself to find the family of the young Russian girl so that the baby wouldn't end up going into care. With only the girl's diary as a clue as to who she was, Anna heads the local Russian resturant to see if she can get the diary translated. Here she meets owner Semyon (Mueller-Stahl), who takes an instant interest in the diary but when she meets his son Kirill (Cassel) and his driver Nikolai (Mortensen), Anna realises that she might have got involved in something that is much bigger than she ever imagined.

Better known for been a master of horror, director David Cronenberg turned his considerable skill to drama for the graphic novel adaptation of 'A History of Violence' but can his latest movie continue his journey into drama?

David Cronenberg made his name with classics of the horror genre in 'Scanners', 'Videodrome', 'The Dead Zone', 'Dead Ringers' and 'The Fly' but as he headed into the new millennium he shifted into character driven drama. With 'Spider' in 2002 and more famously 'A History of Violence' in 2005, the director grew as a filmmaker and moved into the mainstream growing from cult director to an accomplished artist.

Now we have 'Eastern Promises', the latest from screenwriter Steven Knight (Amazing Grace, Dirty, Pretty Things) that takes us into the shadowy underworld of the Russian Mafia in London. After the fall of Communism in the USSR, Russians emigrated in there thousands with many heading to the UK for the chance of living the Western lifestyle. Along with the ordinary people came members of organised crime and this is the world that Knight's lead character Anna steps into.

Reunited with Viggo Mortensen again after their extremely successful collaboration in 'A History of Violence', Cronenberg allows his star to excel again as driver Nikolai, a man who is about to become a made man inside the Russian mafia. This is a role that Mortensen really sinks his teeth into, committing himself totally to the part, even fighting naked to save Nikolai's life. Naomi Watts is also as good as ever as Anna, the midwife who gets in over her head and embroiled in something that is much bigger than anything she could have ever imaged. Armin Mueller-Stahl commands respect as Russian mob leader Semyon but while his performance is very good, Vincent Cassel looks far too French to be a Russian mobster. There are also good performances from Sinéad Cusack as Anna's mother and Jerzy Skolimowski as Anna's uncle, who warns her of exactly what she is getting into.

'Eastern Promises' doesn't quite have the same dramatical impact as 'A History of Violence' but it is still a powerful movie. With an outstanding performance from Viggo Mortensen and great support from the ensemble cast, this is a hard-hitting movie that pushes realistic violence and pulls you into a darker world that does exist in a modern London.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with a Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Secrets and stories (10.32 mins)
Director David Cronenberg, writer Steven Wright and stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Sinead Cusack, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent Cassel and Olegor Fedoro take you behind the scenes of the making of 'Eastern Promises'. This featurette looks to explain Russian organised crime, highlighting trafficking of woman from Eastern Europe and the problem of modern slavery in London. The cast talk about the impact of the story and the development of their characters. This is a fine featurette that gives you an insight into the production of the film.

Marked for Life (6.42 mins)
Director David Cronenberg, writer Steven Wright and stars Viggo Mortensen and Olegor Fedoro talk about the importance of tattoos in Russian organised crime. They reveal how they tell the story of their crime life, revealing rank, their time in prison and what they have actually done.

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Eastern Promises' is extremely average. The featurettes are fine, revealing behind the scenes information and research done for the film but the lack of a commentary track will come as a disappointment to fans of the movie.

DVD

A History of Violence

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2007