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Rating of
3/4
"Eastern Promises" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/09/2012
When a young girl dies during childbirth in a London hospital, the midwife tries to find out who she was by having her diary translated leading her to become embroiled in the affairs of the Russian mob. David Cronenberg's follow up to A History Of Violence shares a lot of common themes with it; it stars Viggo Mortensen (once again on top form), contains some brutally realistic violence and a grim and completely unsexy sex scene. The other performances are also strong, including Armin Mueller-Stahl as the Russian "Godfather" whose initial seemingly warm and familial attitude contains suitably sinister undercurrents, Vincent Cassel as his son and heir who deals with his latent homosexuality in this homophobic world with alcohol induced debauchery and Naomi Watts once again proves she is …
Rating of
3/4
Like a Picture Book
Franz Patrick - wrote on 02/05/2008
This is a film where characters contain many layers and it's fascinating to watch the story unfold. David Croenberg effectively fuses thriller and drama because the script is so tight and very down-to-earth. I'm glad to have seen a glimpse of the Russian mafia because I haven't seen a lot of movies about them. Although Naomi Watts is a misty-eyed woman once again like in some of her other films, Viggo Mortensen shines as a silent driver of a Russian mob boss' son. Another thing I liked about this movie is that the things that are unsaid are more powerful than things that are stated. There are various implications that the audiences should just know or understand, which I think is a touch of a masterful director because it helps the audience interact with the story. This is definitely one …
Rating of
3/4
Review - Eastern Promises (2007)
Delorted - wrote on 12/14/2007
Anna (Naomi Watts) was not expecting what the future held when she delivered the baby of a dying girl. She quickly got caught up in the life of a man named Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) in “Eastern Promises.”
And once again I’m given a film I’m not sure how to explain. Mortensen’s acting alone is worth watching the film, but it’s really not that interesting as a whole. The story is fine, and all of the acting is really good, but overall, there’s just nothing really groundbreaking about this movie. The reason I point this out is because I don’t understand the high acclaim it is receiving, such as its Golden Globe nomination recently.
I’m not going to pretend this review is going anywhere. There’s nothing exciting about this film except for the violence, which goes a …
Rating of
3.5/4
One of the best films of the year! Tight & tense
newmans_own - wrote on 09/21/2007
As the ruthless assassin Nikolai, Viggo Mortensen gives a heavily-layered, selflessly brave and completely mesmerizing performance. Never before has Mortensen been so compelling, vanishing into the thickly-accented front of a human monster. His unexpressive face constantly keeps the viewer guessing until his sudden and terrifying outbursts of violence show how much he is capable of. It is these sequences of violence in particular that are most noteworthy; one such scene features full-frontal nudity so risky and daring that very few other actors working today would even attempt it. Yet Mortensen is entirely assured, refusing to let those around him (and those watching the film) to see a moment of weakness or doubt. Watts and Mueller-Stahl give solid performances as well, with …
Rating of
2.5/4
I have a feeling we're not in Canada anymore
Allison - wrote on 09/13/2007
This movie is a scream! Literally. It was fun to be sitting next to a sqeaumish lady during this one. This movie was filled with blood, killings, and scenes of torture. There was one scene in particular. You'll know it when you see it. I had to cover my eyes, going "OH MY GOSH" because it was so intense.
And Viggo & Naomi speak Russian in this. Talk about sexy.
Overall, I give it 6/10, because some scenes were boring and dragged the movie down. The movie is smart and features some nice plot twists. However, I was trying to figure out if the movie took place in London or Russia, because practically everyone spoke Russia in this movie, and how many Londoners speak Russian?
Mostly a really good movie. And I can't hide the fact that I'm a Cronenberg fan, so I really wanted to see …
