Movie Review: Eastern Promises
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that violence -- both graphic and
implied -- permeates this film (just as it did Viggo Mortensen
and David Cronenberg's last collaboration,
A History of Violence). From the first scene (which
shows a brutal throat cutting) on, it's clear that kids and
teens aren't the intended audience. Women are manhandled, men
are murdered, babies are kidnapped, sons are betrayed, and
sexual acts are forced, with little or no emotion. There's also
smoking, drinking, strong language, and full nudity. It all
serves a complex storyline that yields an intriguing film. But
if you're not a Cronenberg fan, you may walk away stunned and
appalled.
Families can talk about how the movie depicts mob life. Does it glamorize it or paint a more distasteful picture? How is it similar to and different from other movies about the mafia? Why are films in general fascinated by the criminal underworld? What about that subject drives filmmakers and screenwriters to explore it over and over? Families can also talk about the role of violence in the movie. Is it necessary to tell the story? Why or why not? How realistic do you think it is?
Common Sense Media Review
A bloodied, pregnant young girl named Tatiana steps into a
convenience store, collapses, and is rushed to the hospital,
where midwife Anna (
Naomi
Watts), manages to save her baby's life, but not hers.
Shocked at Tatiana's age -- she was only 14 -- and the
circumstances surrounding her death -- she was beaten and
drugged -- Anna looks through her belongings and finds a diary
that she hopes will help her find the Russian girl's
family.
And so begins filmmaker David Cronenberg's EASTERN PROMISES, which delves into the underbelly of immigrant London, where newcomers are forced into prostitution, disabled young men are manipulated into murder, and a fearsome Russian syndicate controls everything. It's a world that Cronenberg deftly renders with a moody, gritty palette and characters so twisted they're practically cork-screwed.
While paging through Tatiana's diary, which is written in Cyrillic, Anna finds a business card for a Russian restaurant. Thinking Tatiana might have worked there, she shows up on its doorstep and accepts owner Semyon's (Armin Mueller-Stahl, so evil in a masterfully controlled performance) help translating it, since her own Russian uncle (Jerzy Skolimowski) won't. (It's a moment too naïve for words, one of the film's weaknesses that can't be easily explained.) But there's nothing benign about Semyon's offer.
When Anna learns the diary's contents, it's too late to undo the damage. She must turn to the one man whose intent is hardest to read. Nikolai ( Viggo Mortensen) is the driver for Semyon's desperate son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), but is he Anna's foe or friend? Who is he anyway? Cronenberg keeps Nikolai mysterious, a task for which the enigmatic Mortensen is more than worthy. He's unflappable, no matter what the job -- be it dismantling a corpse or parading nearly naked in front of the mob's top bosses.
Graphic violence is expected (required!) in Cronenberg's movies ( Scanners, The Fly). But the accomplished auteur steps it up here, layering gore upon gore and overwhelming his own artistry. Just one example: A horrific-but-compelling ballet in which Nikolai is ambushed by two knife-wielding Chechen thugs in a bathhouse -- naked except for his extensive tattoos, he's as vulnerable as you can get -- is sabotaged and upstaged by a close-up of an eye being stabbed. (Oh, and then there's the scene of a throat getting hacked to bits as the movie opens...)
Fans may find the director's A History of Violence -- in which brutality is offset by a surprising amount of tenderness that serves Cronenberg's masterful storytelling -- more palatable ... and thoughtful.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
