Violent and Captivating: Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises
Directed by David Cronenberg
Released September 14, 2007

David Cronenberg’s follow-up to “A History of Violence” is a stark and moody thriller which inhabits its environment very well. The dark tale of a midwife who gets tangled up with the Russian mob is deeply violent and utterly entrancing. The script is excellent, and Cronenberg’s direction is sharp. The cinematography is great, and the performances only add to the film’s impact. Naomi Watts as always does a great job in her role as the curious but cautious Anna. Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl offer terrific support as the powerful and vicious members of the mob family. Even Viggo Mortensen, who I usually do not completely love, fully inhabits his character of the mob’s driver, and is barely recognizable throughout a good portion of the film. Squeamish viewers should beware that this film is far more violent than “A History of Violence”, and a good deal of it is squirm-inducing. The violence is all a part of the brutal world of this clever and twisty film.

B+