Jan 22, 2008. David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" opens with a throat-slashing and a young woman collapsing in blood in a drugstore, and connects these events with a descent into an underground of Russians who have immigrated to London and brought their crime family with them. An orphaned baby's mother leaves behind a diary with all kinds of mafia secrets which is discovered and for some reason allowed to remain in the possession of the nurse on duty at the time (Naomi Watts) instead of the police. Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service. And Cronenberg knows it. Where the film is slightly let down is in its rushed denouement. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. | Fresh (179) Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Eastern Promises is a criminally underrated film which i personally think should be mentioned more when talking about crime/gangster films. Eastern Promises has a lot going for it, which makes it all the more disappointing when the story takes a fatal turn towards the end. Cinemark Sometimes, if things are closed, you just, open them up. Eastern Promises Review. |, May 1, 2008 We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. Cronenberg's direction is immaculate and he crafts a fine picture with Eastern Promises. [After rapping on a body stored in a freezer] Do you have hair dryer? Years from now, it will be referred to as a benchmark. It's that way with stories about plausible human beings, which is why I prefer them to stories about characters who are simply elements in fiction. What did you think of Eastern Promises? Top ten lists Golden lamps, scimitars, tanned looking dancers in airy clothing, camels, wads of cash! At a time when movie "fight scenes" are as routine as the dances in musicals, Nikolai engages in a fight in this film that sets the same kind of standard that "The French Connection" set for chases. Fiercely determined to protect the helpless surviving infant, she uses her Russian-born mother and uncle (Sinead Cusack and Jerzy Skolimowski) to translate the dead girl's diary, and it leads her to a restaurant run by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), the head of the mafia family. Eastern Promises is a fascinating case of a film made under the intense gaze of a supreme auteur and written by the separate but equally potent hand of a writer. Here, too. drama, Free Movies Online: 200 Fresh Movies to Watch Online For Free, August 23, 2018 Knight throws in a twist that scrambles the movie's moral compass so late in the game, so perfunctorily and so pointlessly, as to render any final reckoning incoherent. The gangsters of this story have to earn their positions and their stripes which are represented in tattoo form and by doing so, brings forth an genuine air of mystery and intrigue to the characters. Plot: Deeply affected by the death of a Russian teenager in childbirth, nurse Anna (Naomi Watts) takes it upon herself to find her family and save the baby from foster care. Dec 13, … The film has a very good story that is complimented by the performances of its actors, and it's a movie that is steadily paced and takes it's time for the story to unfold, therefore it's a movie that you are invested it more often than not because you are hooked at will happen next. |, October 12, 2018 Eastern Promises received twelve nominations at the 28th Genie Awards, tying with the film Shake Hands with the Devil for most nominations, and won seven, Best Supporting Actor (Mueller-Stahl), Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Musical Score, Overall Sound, Sound Editing. It's the machinations of this criminal underworld and their untold code of ethics that intrigues the most. | Rating: B- David Cronenberg triumphs again, showcasing the Viggo Mortensen's onscreen prowess in a daring performance. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. David Cronenberg being more famous for his body horror films crafts this stunning, riveting thriller with dramatic overtones. It's the unnerving work of Armin Mueller-Stahl who brings real gravitas as Semyon, the patriarchal head of the family and the quietly affecting, yet very intimidating, Viggo Mortensen who own this film. Although overflowing with violence, this is nonetheless a creative masterpiece. Eastern Promises is a visceral Thriller that is both brutal and beautiful in the sense that what Cronenberg has created here is simply a superb piece of cinema. Mortensen's Nikolai is the key player, trusted by Semyon. Definitely worth seeing, even if it lacks some of the punch that the typical gangster film delivers. Eastern Promises Blu-ray Review. And for a long time you don't see the why coming. Eastern Promises takes the viewer behind the scenes of the Russian ex-pat community in London. Don't have an account? There was a big surprise in "A History of Violence" that pretty much everybody entering the theater already knew. Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel in Eastern Promises. We're in London and the streets look like they are owned and operated by Beelzebub himself. Cronenberg creates more mainstream films every now and again and with wonderful results. Set in London, it had scarcely a native-born Londoner in it. There is also a brutal knife fight where a completely nude Nikolai must fight off two big knife-wielding assailants. I can't become king if someone else already sits on the throne. A rhapsodic movie directed with considerable formal intelligence and brooding power from an original screenplay by Steve Knight, Eastern Promises is very much a companion to "A History of Violence." Comments; ... Like the Borscht served on Semyon's Trans-Siberian menu, Promises is filling, flavoursome and full of dead meat. Beginning with low-rent horror films in the 1970s, because he could get them financed, Cronenberg has moved film by film into the top rank of directors, and here he wisely reunites with Mortensen, star of their "A History of Violence" (2005). In Eastern Promises, shot to envelop by the great Peter Suschitzky, Cronenberg brings us face to face with the horror of self. And what if they do? His lines of morality are more murkily drawn here, as allegiances and loyalties shift, and old emotions turn out to be forgotten but not dead. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Do they still possess fugitive feelings instilled by a long-forgotten babushka? Cronenberg has said he's not interested in crime stories as themselves. I write little about casting directors, because I can't know what really goes on, and of course directors make the final choice for key roles. All Critics (201) Cronenbergs vision of a grimy London is great, this isn't a glossy … Its subtext, which is about sex and violence and the way one often dovetails with the other, and the skill of its making, render it gripping enough. It was a big success and, two years later, led to Cronenberg sticking with his leading man Viggo Mortensen and attempting something similar with Eastern Promises. With Eastern Promises, though, Cronenberg decides to focus on the Russian mafia operating from a restaurant in the drab, Hackney borough of London. Although relentlessly gripping, the film is more interesting than it is satisfying, let down by the script. “Eastern Promises” is itself an intriguing, not always stable mixture of moods and attitudes. Viggo Mortensen has an intriguingly reserved performance that added a great deal to the film's effectiveness. Naomi Watts, playing an Anglicized second-generation immigrant, has no idea at first what she has gotten herself into, and why the diary is of vital importance to these people. He's fascinated by the worlds within the London world. Full Review. Ballsy. The story begins violently, first with a murder, then with the death of a teenage prostitute mother. | Rating: 3/5 Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is both ruthless and mysterious, has ties to one of the most dangerous crime families in London. The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review. Bearing the trademarks of psychological drama and gritty violence, Eastern Promises is a very compelling crime story. Eastern Promises is a fascinating case of a film made under the intense gaze of a supreme auteur and written by the separate but equally potent hand of a writer. He's not overly concerned with the plot itself. Eastern Promises movie reviews & Metacritic score: The mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin is a driver for one of London's most notorious organized crime families of Eastern European origin. Compelling but brutal mafia film for adults only. |, October 26, 2007 By Chris Cabin. The script is by Steven Knight, author of the powerful "Dirty Pretty Things" (2002), about a black market in body parts. "I was watching 'Miami Vice' the other night," he told Adam Nayman of Toronto's Eye Weekly, "and I realized I'm not interested in the mechanics of the mob, but criminality and people who live in a state of perpetual transgression -- that is interesting to me.". Overall, cinema-goers and film critics broadly agree on the merits of the movie, with critics giving it an average score of 79% and users giving an average score of 81%. All she cares about is the baby, but she learns fast that the baby's life and her own are both at great risk. Here Semyon depends on Nikolai more than Kirill, who has an ugly streak that sometimes interferes with the orderly conduct of business. Feb 21, 2008. So let's leave it that way and simply regard the performances. This is a solid film that is sure to please fans of Cronenberg's work, even if it's not a horror film, which is what he's most famous for, Eastern Promises is a taut, exciting picture that steadily unravels before you, and you simply cannot look away as it's truly an intriguing picture from start to finish. Cronenberg is his own master, still ready to throw in the sort of scene few other directors could dare. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. mystery and thriller, [after rapping on a body stored in a freezer] Do you have hair dryer? This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. Despite the violence, the adult scenes, the bad language and the general theme of the film i don't see a problem with it for mature teens because it is not a 'scary' film.The story can be difficult to follow and there are very few subtitles even when English is not being spoken. Online reviewers have written 912 reviews, giving Eastern Promises (2007) an average rating of 77%. But what happens when their cocoon is broached? A solid gangster film with some fresh (and some cliched) messages. Her uncle begs her to go nowhere near that world. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Best Netflix Shows and Series To Binge (January 2021), The 100 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now (January 2021), 100 Best Movies on Amazon Prime To Watch (January 2021). 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