Eastern Promises (Full Screen Edition)
by David Cronenberg
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Naomi Watts, Sin?ad Cusack, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent CasselDirector: David Cronenberg
Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); Turkish (Original Language); Ukrainian (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-12-26
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Eastern Promises (Full Screen Edition)
Movie Review: Subdued, Intense, Fast-Paced
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed Viggo Mortensen in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence, so when I heard they were teaming up again for Eastern Promises, I had very high expectations.
Eastern Promises offers a powerfully subdued yet intense performance by Viggo Mortensen as a Russian driver/enforcer working his way up London's most notorious Russian crime family. Mortensen has proven himself a chameleon with the roles he's chosen of late, and I had no trouble accepting him as a merciless, cold, calculating--and oddly charming--criminal.
The premise of the story seems straightforward on the surface, but there are some complex developments that caught me unawares. Essentially Naomi Watts, a hospital worker, is trying to track down relation for a baby recently born to a teenage Russian prostitute who died during labor. All she has is a diary written in Russian, which, as fate would have it, leads her right to the door of the Russian mob and Viggo Mortensen. Watts finds herself intertwined in an alien world, ultimately putting the baby in more danger than she ever could have realized.
Cronenberg delivers a compelling and utterly realistic film delving into a topic I found completely original. I've never seen much involving the Russian mafia, especially one based in London, so there was nothing familiar to me about this movie. I'm certain that's one of the many reasons I enjoyed it so much.
There are moments of potent violence in Eastern Promises, but they are brief and not as frequent as you might expect. The psychological tension is palpable in this film, and that's what will have you on the edge of your seat more so than any bloodshed.
I would, however, be remiss to avoid discussing the infamous bathhouse knife fight. Yes, Viggo Mortensen displays extreme devotion to his character by recording a scene totally nude as men attack him with knives in a bathhouse. I suppose if you hit pause you could see everything you wanted to know about Mortensen, but it all happens so fast and the camera work is so sporadic that the viewer sees nothing more than glimpses and blurs. I can't imagine getting tossed around on tile floors like that without any sort of ... well, you know. Mortensen is definitely willing to take one for the team and suffer for his art.
Eastern Promises moved at an incredibly fast pace and the tense storyline and character-driven acting impressed me to no end. I had high expectations for this film, and they were exceeded.
~Scott William Foley, author of The Imagination's Provocation: Volume I: A Collection of Short Stories
Summary of Eastern Promises (Full Screen Edition)
David Cronenberg's signature obsessions flower in Eastern Promises, a stunning look at violence, responsibility, and skin. Near Christmastime in London, a baby is born to a teenage junkie--an event that leads a midwife (Naomi Watts) into the world of the Russian mob. Central to this world is an ambitious enforcer (Viggo Mortensen) who's lately buddied up with the reckless son (Vincent Cassel) of a mob boss (Armin Mueller-Stahl, doing his benign-sinister thing). Screenwriter Steve Knight also wrote Dirty Pretty Things, and in some ways this is a companion piece to that film, though utterly different in style. The plot is classical to the point of being familiar, but Cronenberg doesn't allow anything to become sentimental; he and his peerless cinematographer Peter Suschitzky take a cool, controlled approach to this story. Because of that, when the movie erupts in its (relatively brief) violence, it's genuinely shocking. Cronenberg really puts the viewer through it, as though to shame the easy purveyors of pulp violence--nobody will cheer when the blood runs in this film. Still, Eastern Promises has a furtive humor, nicely conveyed in Viggo Mortensen's highly original performance. Covered in tattoos, his body a scroll depicting his personal history of violence, Mortensen conveys a subtle blend of resolve and lost-ness. He's a true, haunting mystery man. --Robert HortonStills from Eastern Promises (click for larger image). Photos by Peter Mountain.
 Vincent Cassel (left) and Viggo Mortensen (right) star in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release.
|  Armin Mueller-Stahl (center) stars in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |  Viggo Mortensen (left) and Naomi Watts (right) star in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |
 Viggo Mortensen (left) and Naomi Watts (right) star in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |  Naomi Watts stars in David Cronenberg's new thriller EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |  Armin Mueller-Stahl (left) and Naomi Watt (right) star in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |
 Mina E. Mina (left), Vincent Cassel (center) and Viggo Mortensen (right) star in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |  Vincent Cassel stars in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |  Viggo Mortensen stars in David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. |
Viggo Mortensen and Academy Award? nominee Naomi Watts star in this electrifying thriller from critically acclaimed director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence). Criminal mastermind Nikolai (Mortensen) finds his ties to a notorious crime family shaken when he crosses paths with Anna (Watts) a midwife who has accidentally uncovered evidence against them. Their unusual relationship sets off an unstoppable chain of murder mystery and deception in the explosive film critics are calling "provocative and engrossing" (Claudia Puig USA Today).System Requirements:Running Time; 101 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/CRIME Rating: R UPC: 025193330123 Manufacturer No: 62033301
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