Eastern Promises Movie Review

Eastern Promises (2007)

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Written by: Steven Knight
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent Cassel
Rated: R
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Plot
A teenager who dies during childbirth leaves clues in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.

Verdict
It's a gangster movie, but it feels realistic with how matter of fact it treats the violence. There's a precision to the movie and what it portrays as it creates a great mood and intriguing characters. Nikolai can be generally nice while also working as an enforcer that frequently employs violence as necessary. Both things are true, making him complicated. The writing allows us to characterize the protagonists without relying on exposition.
Watch It.

Review
I've seen this before and enjoyed it. The movie establishes this as a brutal world just a couple of scenes in. Midwife Anna (Naomi Watts) is trying to find the family of a patient. That's the lead in to this atypical gangster movie.

Anna ends up at a Russian restaurant looking for information and help. This restaurant quickly seems like some kind of front. The owner, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), is too nice, and the viewer soon sees what Anna doesn't. We never quite know what the owner is planning.

This does fall into the typical trope of the gangster father, Semyon, and self-centered kid Kirill (Vincent Cassel)  that hasn't earned his place, but I can't blame the movie as that is exactly how this would work. Nepotism runs rampant everywhere. Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) accompanies Kirill primarily to keep him out of trouble.

Viggo Mortensen plays Nikolai

Nikolai is a nice gangster, as nice as you can be when you're a thug mixed up in violence and crime. While he goes out of his way to be nice to Anna, he still does some horrific things as part of his job. Anna doesn't seem to know what she's getting into despite being warned numerous times by multiple people.

Nikolai is favored over Kirill, though it's clear Kirill's father loves him despite his transgressions. Kirill always leans heavily on the family name and his rank. He establishes his importance through his rank, but Nikolai never has to say a word. His mere presence establishes order. That presence is the same for Semyon who's demeanor can change instantly, but it makes him good at hiding in plain sight.

The tattoos are very accurate, telling a story that includes past and rank. Viggo Mortensen went out to a restaurant during filming still wearing the tattoos and frightened Russian patrons who knew what the tattoos meant.

Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts play Nikolai, Anna

There is 'the fight scene' in this movie. It's brutal, quiet with only the sounds of punches connecting echoing in the room. The weapons are linoleum cutters, but in a fight they look dastardly.

It's a very good movie, and a big part of that is the writing. We're able to ascribe thoughts and feelings to these characters based on what we've seen. We get that Anna is stubborn and headstrong, we don't have to be told. We wonder if Nikolai is someone that fell on hard times or got into trouble and that dictated is trajectory into this world.

I began to wonder what this violent world was building and where would this go. It's an understated ending that implies things are likely to continue as is.