Eastern Promises (2007)

Synopsis: Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a London hospital, finds a journal written in Russian in the personal belongings of a young teen who has passed away in childbirth. In her pursuit to find the relatives of Christina, the baby born to the deceased teen, she becomes involved with Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) and the Russian Mafia.

Review: In Eastern Promises, director David Cronenberg dissects the mystery of the often overlooked Russian Mafia. The realness of this film is so stark and so striking, I often found I had to remind myself it was just a movie. The streets of London seem so unsafe from the looming and dangerous presence of the mobsters.

It almost goes without saying, Mortensen was the highlight of this film. His chilling performance as Nikolai sends shivers down my spine and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His slicked back hair, heavily tatooed body and thick Russian accent give this man the presence to intimadate the unflappable.

My favorite scene by far is the fight scene (not just because Viggo is in the buff, but hey, I'm not complaining). The extreme violence Cronenberg brings to film is something you don't really see these days. I'm a fan of blood and gore and this movie doesn't let me down. I love how Nikolai kills his attackers, the first by shoving his head down on top of a knife and the second by gouging out his eye. Totally cool and totally believable, no SawIII shit here.

I was (and still am) facsinated by the history and story behind each of the tatoos that Nikolai has on his body. The Russian Maffia ink themselves as a way to tell who they are, what they've done, and where they've been. The whole concept of permenently marking yourself with your past is so interesting to me and the symbolism behind it all is something I have never known.

So, if you want to see Viggo Mortensen act his pants off (literally) I highly recommend you see this movie. Stay away if you have any sort of aversion to blood and fighting. You'll probably hate it for the most part!

Favorite quote: "My name is Tatiana. My father died in the mines in my village, so he was already buried when he died. We were all buried there. Buried under the soil of Russia. That is why I left, to find a better life"

******* (7/10)