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Eastern Promises (Full Screen Edition) (2007) Review
I emphasized the "ADULT-THEMED" idea in my title because one of the best things about seeing a film like EASTERN PROMISES is that it is so adult, so uncompromised. Cronenberg gets to make the movies he wants to, and it doesn't have to be watered down or dumbed-down to make it sell to a broad audience. We get a brutal, sometimes squirm-inducing look at a underworld we haven't seen like this before...and there's no gloss, no pandering to a teen audience, no sappy ending, etc. etc. The ending is SATISFYING...but it isn't easy or "Hollywood."First of all, the script is outstanding. From the creator of another stunning film about London's "seamy underbelly," DIRTY PRETTY THINGS...the plot makes sense, the threads all come together and the characters are simply but sharply delineated. Yet at no time do I feel the themes are being spoon-fed. Also, some of the acts that are perpetrated on Viggo Mortensen's character near the end of the film are acts of amazing betrayal...yet if you haven't been paying attention, you might miss that. It's not a super-complex plot...but it doesn't grab you by the hand and lead you from place to place.
Speaking of Mortensen...this is his best performance ever. Granted, Aragon is crown-jewel, and he handled it well...but those films were events, such spectacle that often what he simply needed to do was wear his costume, ride his horse and look great. In EASTERN PROMISES, he has to make us care about a very nasty piece of work indeed. He's also very stony-faced...so much of what we learn about him, especially early on, comes from very subtle work. Again, each word of the script is perfectly chosen, and Mortensen digs deep here. He's not always my favorite actor...I actually wasn't nuts about him in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (A film I otherwise greatly admired)...but he's perfectly cast here. And of course, he's amazing to watch in the now infamous nude fight scene. It's a little bit distracting being aware of male full-frontal nudity flashing around...almost enough to take one out of the scene...but the scene is so well staged that the sheer PAIN of it soon wipes out any feeling of "hey, we get to see ALL of Viggo Mortensen."
Armin Mueller-Stahl plays the older patriarch of the Russian mafia family, and he's the best of this type of character I've seen in awhile. You know the one...the old gangster who is so sweet and loving to the youngsters in his family, so polite and full of grace and manners. Picture Brando in the wedding scenes of THE GODFATHER or even Paul Newman in early scenes of ROAD TO PERDITION. Stahl is even better...his eyes twinkle with charm. But boy, when the mask drops and we see the real guy...still soft-spoken and considered...he's stunningly evil. I really enjoyed seeing him again...it seems like it's been awhile since he was in a film.
Vincent Cassel plays Stahl's hot-headed son...another gangster cliche...the kid who is supposed to take over the business, but is actually a bit of a moron and troublemaker. But again, the character has surprises up its sleeve. Also, Naomi Watts plays the nurse who brings a motherless baby unwittingly into this underworld...and she is reliably good. Her character doesn't get to have all the dramatic flourishes...but Watts gives another patented, fully committed, honest performance. I believe she may be our most under-rated actress, even though she has been nominated for awards and starred in many films...I think she's still undervalued. EASTERN PROMISES won't win her new fans or an Oscar...but she is still very good.
Notice I didn't talk much about the plot. Others have done it better, and to be honest, I'd love it if you just went to see the film having little idea of what you were about to experience. It's a brutal journey...but it is full of unexpected turns...not just of plot but of character. I'll bet come year end, this will still be one of my favorites of the year! Highly, highly recommended for ADULT audiences!!
Eastern Promises (Full Screen Edition) (2007) Overview
Viggo Mortensen and Academy Award® nominee Naomi Watts star in this electrifying thriller from critically acclaimed director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence). Criminal mastermind Nikolai (Mortensen) finds his ties to a notorious crime family shaken when he crosses paths with Anna (Watts), a midwife who has accidentally uncovered evidence against them. Their unusual relationship sets off an unstoppable chain of murder, mystery and deception in the explosive film critics are calling "provocative and engrossing" (Claudia Puig, USA Today).Want to learn more information about Eastern Promises (Full Screen Edition) (2007)?
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