Who would have thought that the director of such sci-fi horror classics such as Scanners, Videodrome, and The Fly would be the new force within the crime genre? Yet, here we are with David Cronenberg's consecutive film concerning organized crime, Eastern Promises.
The film features two parallel story lines. The first focuses on the un-sanctioned killing of a Chechen mob figure which draws a violent reprisal. The second concerns the aftermath from the death of an unidentified teenage girl who dies during childbirth, as her midwife Anna (Naomi Watts) pieces together her agonizing last days whilst trying to find her relatives to take care of her newborn baby. Both stories lead to Russian crime boss Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), and his mysterious chauffer Nikolai (Viggo Mortenson) who strikes up a relationship with Anna.
Being a David Cronenberg film, this crime flick is vastly different to the likes of Coppola or Scorsese, with Cronenberg and writer Steven Knight focusing on human trafficking and forced prostitution as opposed to turf wars and narcotics. It is refreshing to watch a London based crime film which does not rely on the Guy Richie school of filmmaking, with Cronenberg's unique style and deft hand felt throughout. The setting may be different, but the tone and method are undeniably Cronenberg.
His patented underlying sense of dread and depiction of bloody violence is used to great effect, especially in regards to a spectacularly violent fight scene between a naked Viggo Mortenson and two leather clad Chechen hitmen in a steam house. Cronenberg regular Peter Suschitzky provides great cinematography.
There are glaring flaws. The annoying naivety from Naomi Watt's midwife (which although played well by the Australian actress) just becomes too much of a distraction, her gullible and dim witted attitude towards the dangers of her valiant quest for the truth placing a dent in the films credibility. Also, the at times vomit inducing voice over from the deceased teen coupled with Howard Shore's sorrowful violin composition pushes the melodrama to sappy heights.
This is Viggo Mortenson's film. A captivating and intimidating presence, Mortenson is simply striking in his consecutive Cronenberg film, playing the slick Russian mob figure who suffers from a crisis of conscience with equal parts calm and intensity. A lot of his dialogue is in Russian, and he seems to have pulled it off convincingly without resorting to parody (which is not a surprise, considering Mortenson is a man who has mastered many languages).
Vincent Cassell is good in the obligatory role of the crazy mob guy, while Armin Mueller-Stahl does a great job as the deceptively cuddly old man who is in actuality evil made flesh.
Cronenberg and co. have put a lot of thought and research into depicting Russian crime customs as authentically as possible. Prison tattoos are a key motif, Mortenson's character a human canvas of body ink with every tattoo representing a chapter of his life. The Russian mafia is seldom used in the crime genre, with the Italian, Irish, Latino and British mob's the usual criminal element found in these sorts of films. It is a new approach which pays off very well.