Eastern Promises

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% (18/08/2008)

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%. (05/01/2014)

Despite its simple plot, this impressive, small-scale intimate drama left a stronger impression on me than the spectacular American Gangster. Eastern Promises is a sophisticated film affair for the non-popcorn viewer, in which everything fits together like the cogs in Viggo Mortensen’s ten-thousand-dollar wristwatch. Supported by fantastic actors, David Cronenberg confirms his mastery in terms of creating characters. Mortensen’s best performance so far. Also, the portrayal of the Russian mafia setting is incredibly powerful and authentic for the peace-loving Canadian Cronenberg. And as a bonus, there’s the excellent sauna scene that bears the director’s traditional signature. This is the best of Cronenberg’s last five films. (10/01/2008)

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. (07/02/2008)

Cronenberg left the fantasy world of human obsessions for good and began to explore ordinary people in liminal situations. The synopsis of Russian gangsters in London smacked of fake nasal accents and litres of vodka, and yet the result is more about the confrontation of different worlds. When we enter it, we can't get out, whether it’s the mafia driver with a secret, the nurse with an internal stigma, or the Ukrainian emigrant playing the involuntary role of a prostitute. It's gripping in moments and emotionally fulfilling on the whole, though the epilogue could be explored for long moments. And as paradoxical as it sounds, Eastern Promises is a very different alternative to Love Actually as a London Christmas film. 4 ½. (20/12/2007)