Eastern Promises (2007)

Directed by David Cronenberg; produced by Robert Lantos and Paul Webster

On a rainy night in London, a teenager dies in childbirth. Hospital midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) tries to find clues to the dead girl’s family in her diary; its words, written in Russian, and a business card from a Russian restaurant, lead her to Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), who shows an unsettling interest in the dead girl’s jorunal, and in Anna’s background. The more Anna learns of the teenager’s past, the deeper she finds her involvement in sordid crimes and deadly underworld politics.

A violent and involving movie, Eastern Promises is a rare look into the machinations of the Russian mob in Britain; if it is not accurate in its depiction, then it is close enough to serve its purpose. The plot is a good gangster story, with twists and turns. It is detailed, but doesn’t give away all its secrets at once; when they are revealed, the reasons for them are compelling enough to keep the viewer watching.

As well, some of what occurs is explained only later or by inference; the audience will have to think about much of the plot. Some aspects are left up to the viewer to guess, such as why Semyon, who voices his dislike of London at one point, is living in Britain at all, though his respectful fear of the KGB’s handling of organised crime in the old USSR might give a clue. That the writing takes advantage of such dialogue to illustrate character may be seen in Semyon’s contrast with another, younger Russian, who opines that a child is better raised in England, than in Russia.

The main characters are interesting and diverse. Anna is straightforward; she is trying to do the right thing by the baby who survived her young mother’s death. She is trusting, to a point. She follows her instinct when Semyon seems rather too generous in wanting to drive her home one rainy night. Semyon, for his part, is driven by power, and, if he seems to want to protect his son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), it may have more to do with being seen to do what he must, than with love. Then there is the enigmatic Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who appears decent, within the confines of his criminal world, yet might be playing his own game.

The other characters are less full, and are used mainly to move the story. Kirill is the type we’ve seen before in gangster movies: the second generation mobster who isn’t too bright or disciplined. Anna’s mother (Sinéad Cusack), evidently an Englishwoman who married a Russian, is a foil for her daughter, while Anna’s uncle (Jerzy Skolimowski), represents the old Soviet ways. One wonders, in contrast to Semyon, how he and his brother ended up in England.

The acting is first rate, especially from Mortensen and Watts. While the latter has more scope for the interpretation of her character, the former must create a three-dimensional person from the limited expressions his environment allows him to make. When too much information or perceived weakness could lead to tragedy, one doesn’t say or show too much. Yet Mortensen manages to make Nikolai a real person. Mueller-Stahl acts a fine line: he must deliberately make Semyon too clear in his deviousness – but only enough to make it seem that Semyon is the bad actor, not Mueller-Stahl himself.

Putting the acting and the writing together is the direction. I am neither a fan nor a detractor of Cronenberg, but I can write that in Eastern Promises, he gets it all right. What the movie wants the audience to note is sometimes very subtle, a script of short pauses, and slight movements. On the other hand, bloody violence is not eschewed. It’s interesting that, being set in Britain rather than the United States, Eastern Promises involves no firearms. There is, however, liberal use of knives, razor blades and, in a thrilling and memorable fight in a public sauna, linoleum cutters. This is not a film for the squeamish.

For those who like gangster flicks, especially with an exotic atmosphere, this story set in a modern London filled with immigrants from all over the world should do more than satisfy. Eastern Promises will likely rate highly on their list of mob movies.