With shades of film-noir and clear inspirations from legendary mob films like "The Godfather (1972)", "Goodfellas (1990)" and "Casino (1995)", Eastern Promises (2007) unfolds as one of the greatest modern crime films of the 21st Century. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl and is directed by David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome, Dead Ringers). The story, one of intertwined violence, corruption and mystery, focuses on a Russian mob family who may be tied to the rape and murder of a Russian teenager living in London. Her diary, which contained the secrets leading up to her demise, is found by British-Russian midwife Anna Khitrova and compels her to fill in the missing pieces. Anna's search for these answers is accompanied by the posthumous narration of the victim.What separates this film from many modern crime films is the mood of the characters and the noirish atmosphere these moods seem to permeate. The musical score, composed by Howard Shore ("LOTR" franchise, dare I say more), is so evocative of the time it is portraying that to call it simply 'fitting' for the film would be an understatement - it becomes a character in itself and plays an integral role in shaping the film's authenticity and style.It is so refreshing to witness a more recent film where the characters and story develop honestly, not in a contrived manner. It's a testament to the film's storytelling and respect for its audience - where feelings and inner conflicts are at the forefront; and the violence isn't so much exploited as it is a punctuation of the characters. EP pays homage to some of the greatest classic mob films while injecting enough mystery and charm in it to become a unique entry into the genre.

In general great plot and acting. I was expecting some bad pronunciation but Morrison exceeded all expectations. He shows what kind of great acting skills he has in this movie and the feeling for life in the Russian underground world. I think that the social and cultural element of the Russians is portrayed really good and the very clear contradiction between the two worlds of Anna and Nicolai. However, the movie is going into detail on some elements in the beginning while it lacks the real emotions of the main characters. Why did Nicolai join the cops? Why is Kirill so aggressive about his dad (something happened in the past) What did he find in Nicolai that attractive.. is there an emotional connection? (there is a hint about him being gay). I liked the movie for the 90 minutes that it fed me, but I've loved to get a lot more details and a better ending. It felt like they just cut it off in the end.

Anna (Naomi Watts) is a midwife of English / Russian parentage who earns her living in London. One night she helps to deliver the baby for a teen aged girl, who dies in childbirth. Finding a diary among the girls' belongings, she hopes to get it translated so that she can give the baby to whatever family the girl has. In so doing, she gets mixed up with a Russian mob family, including its boss, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his sleazy son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), and Kirills' loyal chauffeur / muscle man Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen).Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg again delivers a film that is equal parts engrossing, interesting, and reasonably intelligent. Working from a screenplay by Steven Knight, he does an impressive job of immersing us in an exotic environment. The mood and the feel of the material are just right. Although Cronenberg unfortunately seems to have left his "body horror" era far behind by this point, there is some very effective violence here and there courtesy of Stephan Dupuis.The film travels far on the charisma of its leading man Mortensen, who is utterly convincing as this enigmatic character. But the whole cast is excellent, really. Watts is an appealing protagonist, Cassel is most amusing, and Mueller-Stahl is a treat as the aged, reserved mafia boss. Other sturdy contributions are made by Sinead Cusack and Jerzy Skolimowski as Annas' aunt and uncle, Tatiana Maslany (voice only), Mina E. Mina, and Donald Sumpter. Some of Mortensens' fans will be truly delighted to see him show off the goods in a key bath house sequence.Certain story twists, the location shooting, and the crisp photography all help to make this very fine entertainment. Cronenberg works alongside a few of his frequent collaborators: cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, production designer Carol Spier, editor Ronald Sanders, composer Howard Shore, and costume designer Denise Cronenberg (the directors' sister).Eight out of 10.

Ever since the '70s, David Cronenberg has been an edgy, unconventional director whose unflinching forays into the worlds of horror, body deformity and sexuality have garnered him a loyal fan base and rave reviews. In recent years, he's moved away from more outlandish fare to focus on gritty, realistic thrillers. After the success of 2005's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, he returns with this London-set thriller which explores the world of the Russian mafia, specifically through the tattoos worn by members which really do reveal their lifetime achievements.In essence this is Viggo Mortensen's film – after he did so well in HISTORY I didn't think he'd be able to top that performance, but he does and in spades. He makes his cold, calculating driver into a human being with hidden depths and it's one of those performances that you simply can't avert your eyes from. Cronenberg strives for a look at the 'truth' in this thriller; at first I thought it was going to be a revenge-style picture but in the end it's entirely unpredictable, with different strands for different lives mingling together.The subject matter is understandably dark, but to help us through there are some great performers here – Naomi Watts, so much better than in KING KONG, as the investigative midwife; Armin Mueller-Stahl as the grandiose mob boss, and finally Vincent Cassel as yet another creepy perverted type. Cronenberg moves away from the visceral even further, although the brief bursts of violence are here as disturbing as ever – there are slit throats to rival SWEENEY TODD and a naked bathhouse battle with plenty of eye-opening moments. EASTERN PROMISES is undeniably the director's most mature movie to date, and it's a brilliant one too.