Eastern Promises

by Ari

David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises features a remarkable sequence of close-combat brutality that brings to mind the visceral immediacy of Scorsese’s Goodfellas or Casino. I’ve decided to discuss this sequence first because it’s the defining moment of an otherwise subtle new thriller by one of the most consistently great filmmakers working today. I’ve noticed that Roger Ebert has already rightfully deemed this sequence a “benchmark” that it will be referred to in the years to come. It’s true. The bathhouse brawl in Eastern Promises is so immediate and realistic that it’s sometimes difficult to watch. Every punch, cut, crack, scream, and impalement is shocking in its intensity. I was instantly reminded of the violent opening sequence in Goodfellas, or the impact of the infamous “head in a vice” moment in Casino. Like those films, Eastern Promises doesn’t shy away from the details of the violence. It’s real, it’s ugly, and it leaves you tense and nervous for the last 25 minutes of the film. It’s a strikingly well choreographed and executed piece of filmmaking - one of Cronenberg’s most memorable individual sequences.

The story involves a midwife, Anna (Naomi Watts), who uncovers the secrets behind the Vory V Zakone criminal organization in London. Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) is the head of the Russian family and operates his business from his restaurant. His son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel) is a bit of a loose cannon who unfortunately does business behind his father’s back and also hides his sexual affection for their driver Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). Kirill is a psychopath, but Nikolai understands why and even subtly expresses his sympathy for him. At one point, Kirill forces Nikolai to have sex with a prostitute to prove his heterosexuality. We know, of course, that there’s much more to it than that. There’s something menacing, frightening and surprisingly heartbreaking about the way Kirill watches Nikolai as he engages in sex. Vincent Cassell’s performance is superb throughout the entire film, but this moment in particular struck me as the essence of the character’s inner torture.

Anna takes the diary of a young girl who dies at childbirth at the outset of the film. She hopes to translate the Russian in order to find some information regarding the family of the baby. Unfortunately her character exists for this reason alone. She’s a plot device to get the story moving to a much more interesting place. The diary contains information about Semyon’s operations and various acts of cruelty, so obviously he wants to obtain it and kill anyone who happens to read it. Watts is good in the film (she’s always good), but Anna is under-developed and difficult to invest in emotionally. Her motivations are murky at best, and her personal story is beside the point. The real story here is between Nikolai, Semyon and Kirill, and it’s brilliantly written and performed. Stahl’s calmness as the head of the family is so delicate it’s creepy. And Viggo.......well, Viggo is at his best as Nikolai. His presence is confident, smooth, dangerously charming.

Eastern Promises is Cronenberg at his most elegant and restrained - a fascinating new form for that edgy and unconventional filmmaker that once shocked us with Videodrome and provoked us with Crash. Excellent work.