Eastern Promises

B+

Directed by David Cronenberg

Although I was never a fan of most David Cronenberg's best known works such as "Dead Ringers" and "Videodrome" and found some of his later offerings, films like "Existenz" and "Crash," to be absolutely putrid, he certainly seems to be churning out better products lately, first with the release of "A History of Violence" and then with "Eastern Promises," both films that I thought showcased some of Cronenberg's best talents while doing away with some of his more expendable directorial impulses. "Eastern Promises" in particular is, in my opinion, a fairly resounding success in terms of marrying blunt, sometimes uncompromising violence with compulsively watchable suspense.

Cronenberg's newfound male lead, none other than Habs superfan Viggo Mortensen, stars as Nikolai, a driver to a ruthless Russian mob boss who has relocated to London (it's not clear why but it appears he's having trouble with the Russian police. I didn't even know that was possible!) Business as usual is interrupted for his employer when a midwife named Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) discovers a Russian language diary on the body of Tatiana, a 14 year old girl who dies in childbirth, which makes reference to her dreadful handling at the hands of Symeon and other members of their criminal organization. Symeon, realizing that the jig is likely up if the young girl's diary is successfully translated, attempts to destroy the diary and silence those who have read it, enlisting the help of Nikolai in the process. Nikolai, however, goes through a crisis of conscience as he realizes the extent of Symeon's moral decrepitude.

"Eastern Promises" in its mood is somewhat similar to "A History of Violence," mixing slow burning suspense with short bursts of savage violence. Like "A History of Violence," "Eastern Promises" also deals with the moral bankruptcy of the criminal underworld although in this case the criminal underworld Cronenberg depicts retains a measure of classical charm. Indeed, Symeon's headquarters, a resatuant called the Trans Siberian, is a lavisly decorated, classically refined eatery in the middle of London, filled with reach looking people eating rich looking food. Cronenberg, however, masterfully constrast the superficial pomp of Symeon's lair with his place of business, a rundown brothel on the outskirts of town, filled with his drug addled and abused merchandise. Cronenberg's portrayal of the criminal organization as a nexus of decay rather than as an institution of social significance with honorable ends to its sometimes dishonorable means is Scorcese-esque in some ways and is brilliantly underpinned by his protrayal of Symeon, a man who pays lip service to the importance of family only to later offer up his own son for sacrifice to a rival gang.
Cronenberg's fascination, however, is not simply with the moral erosion of individual's engaged in such crime but with the psychological effect of violence and criminality on them. Since "A History of Violence," Cronenberg has appeared to be most interested in the long term effects of crime and violence on individuals, a theme he returns to in "Eastern Promises."

The denouement of the film was a bit disappointing simply because the film had until that point been following a hyper realistic and unvarnished premise and suddenly veered into a somewhat maudlin, even corny, conclusion. Nevertheless, there is too much good in this film, from the solid acting by Mortensen and Watts to Cronenberg's tight direction, to really spend any serious time nitpicking its few faults.