Eastern Promises

The divorce of Cronenberg's directing brilliance from A History of Violence. Whilst therein the ordinariness (and its contrast with violence) focused on the average American family, in Eastern Promises, Cronenberg paradoxically concentrates it on the world of rafts in the law (the Russian mafia). Anyone expecting to see things as black and white, disgusting caricatures or demonization, is going to be surprised. Cronenberg gives the same amount of space to both the average family and the mobsters, lets them dine, pamper their children, and pays the same amount of attention to a slit neck as people sitting and listening to a Garmon player. The result is a fascinating narrative tone that rarely raises its voice (and it is then that the film is slightly marred by the false tone of the great drama). Viggo Mortensen is amazing, and this is one of the actor's most impressive physical performances that can be seen today. Naomi blooms, regardless of the wrinkles. Negative aspects? Again, the script, which has holes in the logic and structure of the story. And also the twist, which, unlike A History of Violence, rather flattens the main character. Which doesn't change the fact that Eastern Promises is a fantastic thriller and Cronenberg is in his prime. [85%] (01/13/2008)

Pretty restrained for Cronenberg, but you can still see his style. Like most films of his I’ve watched, this one felt very cold, but it still managed to capture my attention thanks to the intense rawness. Cronenberg is not for everyone, but I like playing his emotionally detached games sometimes. 80% (08/18/2008)

Just when I thought I had Cronenberg figured out and not particularly inclined towards my taste, something like this comes along. While in A History of Violence he only touched on the gangsters and wrapped the whole story in somewhat unbelievable personal drama, Eastern Promises is a whole different story. Their simple yet sufficiently detailed story reveals both the complicated personal life of Anna and the hierarchy of a community where they speak with a very distinctive accent and secretly give dirty orders. Thanks to Mortensen's perfect performance, the viewer doesn't escape from that evil and chilling world for even a minute. (02/07/2008)

Cronenberg shines again! The guy's a genius. It's a gritty tale of crime and redemption with an unusual (hidden) tenderness. Cronenberg uses every possible allusion to develop the story. He draws us into the story, immerses us emotionally to the characters, who are not portrayed as either bad or good. And this is Cronenberg's masterful talent, to show us each character as he wishes, without any preconceived notion, and absentmindedly bringing the audience to play emotionally with them. The sauna scene is clearly the film's highlight. 75%. (01/05/2014)

When watching Eastern Promises, many film fans probably thought, "Thank God that Cronenberg has gained some common sense in his old age and started making understandable genre films accessible to a wider audience." I prefer the old "perverse" Cronenberg, who experimented and came up with original stories beyond the mainstream of cinema. Eastern Promises is not bad at all, although the script is definitely not original and an experienced viewer can guess where the story is heading after a while. For example, the scriptwriter lacked the courage to cross the genre taboo of the death of a child character. What makes this thriller stand out and surpass average productions is the excellent cast and great performances, far from typical B-movies. The atmosphere of the foreign Russian mafia with its secret rituals, tattoos, and "mythology" is naturally attractive. Overall impression: 75%. The depiction of several overly naturalistic shots, such as the stabbing of a human eye in a fight or the mutilation of a corpse, disturbed me, but many fans will probably appreciate it. :-) (09/26/2008)