The Mafia Returns In Eastern Promises

In years past it seems like mafia movies were more acclaimed. Maybe that’s because directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Brian De Palma had a talent for showcasing this underground world. Lately Martin Scorsese has been creating some of the more influential mafia tales with movies like Goodfellas (1990) and The Departed (2006). Beneath all of these well known titles is David Cronenberg. He created the unconventional story of a small town hero who is really an ex-criminal in A History Of Violence and now returns to the world of organized crime with Eastern Promises. It dives deeper into these societies than any previous mafia movie ever made. It also shows off the complexity which can either unify or divide them.

Eastern Promises is really the combination of a few different movies but with slight twists. The Godfather comes to mind when talking about Semyon who is the leader of the Vory V Zakone criminal brotherhood. Unlike Marlon Brando, Armin Mueller-Stahl is a merciless villain who knows when and when not to act tough. At first he appears very welcoming but we later find out he is even more devious than the rest of the family. I also see tiny parts of The Departed. I won’t explain this one because it would give away one of the major twists of the film.

Where Eastern Promises sets itself apart from its counterparts is the brutality shown numerous times throughout the movie. Most films shy away from showing you detailed death - maybe because it is seen as senseless - Eastern Promises leaves nothing to be imagined. Each kill is shown in horrific detail. Depending on whether you view this as a plus or minus is up to you, however. Normally I would commend a director for taking these types of chance. Eastern Promises is both hit and miss for me. Some of the scenes add a great deal to the story and are done very well. Others seem too “in your face.” In one case a man’s throat is slit but instead of taking a casual approach it looks far too much like a scene out of Planet Terror.

Viggo Mortensen (The Lord Of The Rings) obviously spent a great deal of time studying for this role and it pays off. His part as Nikolai is a perfect fit. It allowed him to play off his soft side as well as the “ultimate badass” we all know he is capable of. In many ways his acting was overshadowed by other breakout roles in There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men but it is still a must see. Naomi Watts also does a great job as Anna, a girl who is determined on finding the right fit for a child that is left in her care. This, along with her roles in Mulholland Drive and King Kong, shows that she is still one of the better actresses around today. Whoever was in charge of dress and make up should also be commended. From the tattoos to the wardrobes everything looked very convincing.

While I do feel the movie shouts “life goes on” a little too freely toward the end it did have a great story. It wasn’t like a lot of other films of its kind and kept me on my toes. It just goes to show that there is still a lot of room for improvement in this area. Eastern Promises succeeds because it cares only about itself just like the characters in it.