...one of the better pictures of 2007...
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"Eastern Promises" is the second of consecutive films featuring actor Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg. The first film, "A History of Violence" was one of Cronenberg´s most commercial film releases and perhaps second only to the cult classic "The Fly." Cronenberg is a director initially known for creating bloody and violent films and is not stranger to controversy. The film "Crash" is one of the more provocative cinematic experiences over the past two decades and cemented the fact that the Canadian auteur had no fear of showing explicit violence or nudity on-screen. "Eastern Promises" is the latest of Cronenberg´s bloody orgies and while the film could be considered mild for a Cronenberg picture, it features an incredibly brutal sequence that will be remembered for years to come.
The scene I´m referencing is a gory and violent fight sequence featuring a completely nude Viggo Mortensen and two Russian hitmen who have been sent to kill the character Mortensen portrays. The action is fast and it is violent. There is plenty of blood and gore. The sequence is visceral, violent and realistic and Cronenberg bucks the taboo of full frontal male nudity with unflattering and seemingly uncomfortable scenes that proves Viggo Mortensen is a man who is a talented and dedicated actor. I cannot begin to imagine the pain he must have suffered while flopping around on the wet floor without any clothing for protection and having much larger men come down upon him with their full weight. This shower fight sequence is a true nod to Cronenberg´s ability to deliver pain and suffering to the viewer through visual imagery.
In the film, a young woman comes into a pharmacy and begs for help. She collapses and blood begins flowing from her vaginal area. Moments later she is being rushed into a hospital and it is revealed that she is pregnant. A hospital worker, Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), helps birth the child, but the mother dies in the process. With no identification, only the woman´s personal diary can help unlock clues as to whom any living relatives may be that can take custody of the baby Anna named Christina. She takes the diary from the London hospital and to her uncle Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski). Stepan is upset that Anna took the dead girl´s diary, but eventually reads over what is written and translates what is written.
However, before Stepan translates the diary, Anna takes a copy of it to the Trans-Siberian restaurant after finding a business card for the eatery in the diary. There she meets the owner of the restaurant, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Semyon seems very interested in obtaining the original copy of the diary and agrees to translate what is written, but will personally communicate the news of baby Christina to any surviving family members and return the diary to them. Anna is reluctant to fully trust Semyon with the woman´s diary, but leaves him the photocopied version. Semyon manages to have Anna tell him where she works. Also during her visit to the Trans-Siberian, Anna meets Semyon´s son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and his personal driver and bodyguard Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). They make advances towards Anna, but she does not accept them.
Stepan tells Anna and her mother Helen (Sinead Cusack) some of the horrible things written in the diary and announces that the woman was a normal girl who was forced into prostitution. It paints an ugly picture of the world inhabited by Semyon and Kirill. Anna finds herself in trouble when Semyon appears at the hospital and demands to have the diary. A series of events happen and she agrees to hand the diary over to Nikolai. During the exchange, Stepan spits into Nikolai´s face and puts himself into the line of fire of the Russian mafia. The exchange is made and Anna is told to keep away and stay near good people by Nikolai, who seems genuinely interested in Anna and her safety.
Semyon is a high ranking official in the Russian mafia and his son Kirill is a troublesome young man who consistently causes grief for his father. Nikolai is Kirill´s friend, but Kirill is doing what he can to get his friend to become a general in the Russian mafia. Semyon eventually finds trust in Kirill and grants him the star tattoos that signify his status in the mafia, but this is only to set up Nikolai to help cover up one of Kirill´s costly mistakes. However, Nikolai is not who he appears to be and is actually a Russian agent working with Scotland Yard to bring down Semyon and his crime empire. They baby and the diary are key pieces of evidence to put Semyon behind bars.
The climactic steam bath scene featuring Mortensen in his full glory is one of the finest filmed and choreographed scenes I´ve seen in years. It is insanely violent, but Mortensen makes Nikolai and incredibly deadly and talented killer that is maimed and nearly killed, but struggles and ultimately survives against the two armed foes. His vulnerability is apparent and symbolized by his fully nude profile, but regardless of how vulnerable the character is, he manages to survive. I was simply in awe of this sequence and the work done by Mortensen and Cronenberg to bring this moment to life. It simply is amazing.
"Eastern Promises" is a well-made film and well-told story. It features very strong performances from Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts as well as strong supporting performances by Armin Mueller-Stahl and Vincent Cassel. Cronenberg´s ability to bring reality to cinematic violence and Mortensen´s performance in delivering a dangerous and stoic performance as Nikolai Luzhin are the two biggest assets of this convincing thriller. "Eastern Promises" is as good a mafia drama as you will find and looks deeply into the rarely discovered world of the Russian mafia. With so many films focusing on the Italian mafia, "Eastern Promises" only benefits from having a strong story set in a different world. Cronenberg has come a long way since his early days as a horror director and has become one of the more talented directors of violent dramas and thrillers since "Crash" first stirred up controversy.
Viggo Mortensen is a far distance away from Hobbitland. It took fifteen years since his debut in the Harrison Ford film "Witness" for Mortensen to earn acclaim and familiarity among audiences with his turn as Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. He followed up his success in that franchise with the unimpressive "Hidalgo," but under Cronenberg, he has excelled in both "A History of Violence" and now "Eastern Promises." His heavily tattooed character in this film is unlikable vermin through the first two-thirds of the film. His performance brings a deadly aspect to the character who is convincing as a Russian killer. You do not want to like him, but Mortensen brings a human side to Nikolai that makes his revelation as a Russian police agent feel completely believable and it soon becomes easy to root for the Nikolai character after it is revealed that he is one of the good guys. "Eastern Promises" would not be nearly as entertaining as it is with anybody else in the lead male role.
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