Eastern Promises is no ordinary crime thriller, with award-winning director David Cronenberg and superb performance by Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises is simply exceptional. In this film, Viggo Mortensen finally shows the world he’s not just Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Though the movie was shot in London, Eastern Promises is a Canadian film directed by acclaimed director David Cronenberg and since the movie is filled with Russian mobs and family, there is hardly anyone speak English with a British ascent.
SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a London hospital, finds a diary on the body of Tatiana, a fourteen-year-old girl who dies after giving birth to Christine. She also finds a card for the Trans-Siberian restaurant, which is owned by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Anna decides to meet Semyon in order to track down the girl’s family so that she can find a home for the dead mother’s baby girl. Little did she knows that Semyon is a boss in the Russian Mafia or vory v zakone (”thieves in law”). Semyon calls Anna by the name of Anna Ivanovna, using the patronymic. Anna realizes she makes a big mistake when she utters about Tatiana’s Russian-language diary to Semyon, who generously offers to translate the diary for Anna.
Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts in Eastern Promises
Anna’s mother Helen (Sinéad Cusack) and her Russian-born uncle Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski) realize trouble after they come to learn that Semyon and his unstable son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), had abused Tatiana and forced her into prostitution, and that Semyon had raped the girl. Meanwhile, Semyon realizes that Anna’s uncle has read the diary and sends Kirill’s driver, Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen) to finish off the old man.
Nikolai, who also serves as the family’s “undertaker”, dumping dead bodies in the River Thames has his star rises within the vory, due in part to Nikolai’s protection of Kirill, who has authorized a hit on a rival Chechen vory leader. The hit was not approved by Semyon and was ill-advised, with the Chechen’s brothers coming to London to seek vengeance.
Semyon, afraid the Chechen’s brothers might come for his son, arranges to give “Kirill” up to the Chechens, which involves making Nikolai a full member of the vory, so he gets the same distinctive tattoos. A meeting is arranged at the Russian baths, and the Chechens are told that the tattooed Nikolai is actually Kirill. The Chechens attack Nikolai, but Nikolai is able to finish them both, ending up in the hospital with serious injuries.
Near the end of the film, It is revealed that Nikolai is actually a member of the Russian Security Services (FSB) and a Scotland Yard informer on the Russian mafia. As part of his undercover duties, Nikolai was able to read Anna’s diary before Semyon destroyed it and has sent Anna’s uncle to a 5-star hotel in Scotland instead of killing him.
His plan to bring Semyon down for statutory rape against Tatiana works making Kirill the most powerful member of the London branch of the mob, but with Nikolai as the one who is really in charge. Meanwhile, Anna gains custody of the baby and Nikolai ends up becoming the crime boss.
Definitely a great crime thriller that has nothing short of promises. The film has received numerous nomination at Genie Award nominations and Golden Globe Award nominations and Virgo Mortensen has been nominated for Best Actor at the 80th Academy Awards. RottenTomatoes.com gave the film 88% while Metacritic gave the film 82%. With positive reviews from critics, watching this film can never go wrong.
My ratings: 8 out of 10. Simply magnificent!
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