A director with a history of making films obsessed with violence, David Cronenberg's singular sensibilities finally broke through into the mainstream public consciousness in 2005 and after 30 years of cult movie making with the critically-acclaimed, graphic novel adaptation, A History of Violence .
An unacknowledged companion piece (of sorts) to that movie, Eastern Promises boasts the same leading man, Viggo Mortensen, as well as the same unflinching examination of the effects of violence upon the psyche.
Mortensen plays Nikolai Luzhin, a driver for the London-branch of the notorious Russian crime syndicate, Vory V Zakone. Amongst their many other endeavours and headed by the quietly menacing Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl– Shine ) and his volatile son Kirill (Vincent Cassel– Ocean's 12 and 13 ), the Vory specialise in human trafficking and prostitution.
One short step away from being initiated into the brotherhood and earning his "stars", Nikolai lives a carefully maintained existence. That is until he crosses paths, thanks to the diary of the sadly departed new mother–and escaped prostitute–Tatiana (voiced by Tatiana Maslany– Ginger Snaps: Unleashed ), with midwife, Anna Khitrova (a plummy-sounding Naomi Watts). Now with Semyon and Kirill closing in on both Anna and the newborn, Nikolai finds himself torn between the innocent parties and his lawbreaking employers.
With an embarrassment of acting riches bringing the cast of characters to life, Eastern Promises is inevitably a well acted piece. Standing tattooed head and shoulders above the rest, however, Mortensen puts in an astonishing turn as the introspective but intimidating Nikolai. A man transformed, Mortensen is barely recognisable from the sword-wielding hero that melted a thousand hearts in Lord of the Rings , as he hides behind an icy veneer and a barely decipherable yet highly authentic accent.
Directed with a steady, unshowy hand by Cronenberg, the stylings of Eastern Promises recalls the more classical form of movie-making. Still, for all that, only rarely does the camera actually become part of the action. Also, bringing a stranger's eye to the streets of the Big Smoke, Cronenberg fills his film with shots of the unseen, seedy and decaying underbelly of London, rather than boring us with the traditional tourist-trap locales normally represented on screen.
Perhaps surprisingly, Eastern Promises contains very little in the way of action or of Cronenberg's patented graphic scenes of violence. Of course, that is not to say it is devoid of brutality and bloodshed, but just that it is used sparingly and for significant effect. Most prominent in the shockingly ultra-realistic fight scene where Mortensen is forced to fight au natural. Only the hardiest of stomachs won't be affected by the crunching blows and squishy stabs brought to life by some of the most realistic sound effects ever recorded in cinema.
Indelibly a David Cronenberg flick, Eastern Promises is a dark and engaging thriller that lives up to the promise shown by A History of Violence . The man is on form, and when he is you are always guaranteed a layered, character-based morality tale that never opts to take the easiest route. Surely that's a compelling enough reason to skip the latest cash-in Saw sequel for something altogether more superior?
Four stars out of five
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