User Reviews

7.5 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Eastern Promises là phim tội phạm – tâm lý về mafia Nga và bí mật trong cuốn nhật ký của nạn nhân buôn người.

Bu yapımı potansiyeli harcanmış yapımlar arasına koyuyorum. Ortalama ve altı bir yapım. Yoklukta izlenebilir.

Un petit coin de mafia russe en Angleterre, le quotidien des affaires en cours en quelque sorte, avec le patron inflexible, le fiston (alcoolique) qui fait des conneries et ce chauffeur discret mais besogneux… (ses tatouages parlent pour lui). Une certaine ambiance et une histoire qui tient la rampe assurément. Mortensen et Cassel sont excellents comme l’ensemble des acteurs d’ailleurs. Hélas, la mise en scène est molle, le film est très lent et ce n’est pas quelqu’ultra violence ici ou là (trop rare de toute façon) qui peut remonter la tension très basse, ni la musique grinçante et désagréable. On a l’impression de regarder un téléfilm en fait. Plutôt dommage pour un film de David Kronenbourg qui a décidément beaucoup baissé.

For me, a great crime show. The storyline is interesting and I'm glad the film wasn't afraid to be more daring. I think grittier scenes belong in this genre. Whether nudity or brutality. Add to that a plot that made it even better. I'm a fan of mafia movies, so I like either, but I still think it will appeal to fans of the crime genre overall. For me, a great movie that entertained me with its mafia theme, story, and twist. Viggo Mortensen helped it along as well. He kept me entertained and for me the film had a lot of pull. All in all, a very successful crime film that I can recommend to fans of the genre.

This movie is a bit slow and sometimes even boring, but it has some times, where it shines. The story is not bad, but the actors are great

If really good mafia movie with some really good acting and story. The feeling of everything slowly escalating and getting out of control is good and the dark Russia and London getting mixed this is just a really good movie to watch. David Cronenberg directed this and you can see it. It has some gnarly special effects and really hard action fight scene that goes really hard. The characters are complex the movie is shot interesting the it is a really gruesome but interesting movie to watch.

Really dumb boring movie. I'm just glad that I got this movie for free and didn't have to waste money on this garbage movie.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Pleasingly textured crime drama with a superb cast and excellent slow pacing. Although the screenplay doesn't surprise much, the overall production is of exceptional quality.

I confess that I expected less from this movie. I really like movies set in the mob world, but the Russian mob was something I had rarely seen on film before. This film is very good at immersing us in that universe, and David Cronenberg was happy in the way he carried out this project, a little out of his usual record. The film follows a London nurse, Anna, on her quest to find out more about the young mother of a baby she saw born, who appears to have been a prostitute from the East. The essential clues will come from a diary, kept by the teenager, which will link her to a respectable and wealthy Russian family, residing in London, who are behind a powerful branch of the Russian mafia in the United Kingdom. The script, engaging and intelligent, seems credible and logical most of the time, and manages to engage the audience and instigate our curiosity. One thing I particularly have to praise is the recurrent use of Russian and Ukrainian in the film, a feature that may confuse the minds of Anglophone audiences, but which I found excellent, appropriate and intelligent, insofar as the actors did it well, without it ever sounding fake or forced. The highlight of the film is the action scenes, and particularly the fight in the Turkish baths, starring Mortensen. From there, the film continues and maintains our interest, but it fails to give us something as intense or exciting. For me, and if we exclude the films from the "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" trilogies, this is the biggest and best film in Viggo Mortensen's career so far. I also liked his work on "Hidalgo", but I think he surpassed it here. I don't know how far his character was supposed to have the charisma he gave him, but Mortensen was able to dominate the film with a magnetic, powerful and intriguing performance. Another actor who did an excellent job was veteran Armin Mueller Stahl, in the role of the family patriarch who is the center of this film. He seems affectionate and kind, refined and very courteous, but he hides a dark, brutal and cynical side. Initially, I found Vincent Cassel a bit one-dimensional with his character too brutal and violent, but I believe the actor knew how to work that out and effectively solve the problems that the character posed to him. Paradoxically, and despite being the main character par excellence, it's Naomi Watts who went out of her way in this film, with a character who seems to be limited to following the flow of information and who doesn't seem to have much else to do in the movie. Still a word for the good work of Sinéad Cusack and Jerzy Skolimowski, as Anna's parents. Technically, it's a film that has many points of interest, starting with a well-placed and regular pace, through elegant cinematography and a judicious choice of filming locations. Visually, it's a beautiful movie that is pleasing to the eye. The sound also works very well, and the visual, specials and sound effects, punctually placed, are of quality and work well. The costumes and sets are very good, but they are within an expected standard, and the soundtrack, written by Howard Shore, didn't sound as good as I could demand in a film with so many qualities.

An Unfaithful And Broken Asset. Eastern Promises Cronenberg has a smart stable method to work his way up on the ladder. His simplicity, and even cliches, has a panache that any filmmaker would die to have for. His lucid flow on storytelling is why it all looks so simple and easy. He doesn't rely much upon antics, but when there are their to work upon, he makes sure he builds them up sincerely and weaves them out sharply on the screen. Take the holy ceremonial or mythological ritual sequence that these gangs go through before claiming their titles or roles in their community. That entire sequence where Mortensen surrenders himself to their religion or the game that they believe in and feed themselves in, says a lot about the integrity of these characters. These tiny characteristics of the characters is why we care, this attractive nature of theirs makes us root for them from the start. There isn't much action in the film, but only once does Mortensen throws a punch, and that entire sequence is not only well choreographed and shot but also brilliantly performed. Nikolai; the protagonist, played powerfully by Viggo Mortensen is not your average Godfather-like mafia member, he wants to prove himself and he does. Naomi Watts cloaking as Anna, the sort-of voice of the reason of the film has unfortunately very less to invest. In fact, Vincent Cassel as a spoiled brat has much more threat to convey with his uncertainty. Stephen Knight, the writer, is not overprotective or melodramatic about his content, he gives up easily but wisely, he makes sure that there is another surprising layer attached to it, to ground the emotions and justify these killings. Eastern Promises has a promising premise, scoffing off the usual crime drama rigmarole, David Cronenberg focuses on the heart of these characters.

Imported rating from tomato rotten site but I lost my review as Thai language became unreadable text. Some of the movies I totally forgot the story. This is why I comment this. I need to comment this because it won't record my watched-list if I just rate.

One of Viggo Mortersons best thrillers of all time and one of the best mystery and suspense movies of all time.

With an eerie and authentic feeling this crime drama about the Russian mob in London feels more harrowing than more action filled films in the genre. Every bit of violence has impact and there is a sort of constant slumbering tension. That said there are a few crime cliches that were a bit too much on the nose for me, but no deal breakers. Tl:dr modest but intense crime drama about the Russian mob

A criminal drama with the same effective style of Scorsese and De Palma, supported by brilliant Watts, Mortensen and Cassel. The fight sequence of sauna fits well with Cronenberg lucic style.

Eastern Promises is the latest effort from acclaimed filmmaker David Cronenberg, whose recent work has elevated his status from that of a cult figure to someone in the mainstrem. Although the director has re-teamed with his The History of Violence star, Viggo Mortensen, the results aren’t as satisfactory. Eastern Promises is a jumbled string of mob-related clichés that mesh into something that’s derivative and at times uninteresting. Aside from two “Cronenberg” scenes, the movie is lifeless and concludes on a note that makes the movie feel unfinished. I have been complaining about a lot of the movies at this festival being needlessly long; Eastern Promises might have been a better production had it added another 15 or 20 minutes on the back end, beefing up an anticlimactic finale. Naomi Watts is Anna, a midwife at a London hospital. After delivering a baby for an unwed mother who dies in childbirth, Anna goes in search of the girl’s living relatives. Her quest unexpectedly brings her into contact with the Russian mob, presided over by the kingpin, a restaurant owner named Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), and his creepy son (Vincent Cassel). They pretend to be nice to her, but their goal is to obtain an incriminating diary possessed by the dead mother. To do their dirty work, they employ Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), whose official role is as Semyon’s driver, but who is also referred to as “the undertaker.” Nikolai has his own secrets, not the least of which is a desire to depose Semyon and replace him upon the throne of the Russian criminal underworld in London. Eastern Promises concentrates on two basic plots, neither of which radiates originality. The first pertains to Anna’s near-obsessive need to find a family for the motherless baby. We learn that she lost a child and so relates to the newborn on a maternal level. Then there’s the crime element of the story, which includes gamesmanship among the gangsters to see who will ultimately end up on top. The “surprise” twist (which won’t be unexpected to some viewers) introduces more problems than it solves and leads in part to the incomplete feeling that accompanies the ending. Cronenberg delivers twice when it comes to gore and violence. The movie opens with one of these trademark scenes as a man’s throat is slit while he’s in a barber’s chair. (Encouragement to tip well.) Later, there’s a no holds-barred two-on-one between Nikolai and a couple of thugs. What makes this interesting is that Viggo Mortensen is naked for the entire battle. This is one of those rare movies when there’s plenty of male nudity as Mortensen literally lets it all hang out. (Hetero men will be glad to know that there are a few bare breasts here and there, although none belongs to Naomi Watts.) Sadly, those are the only two sequences likely to remind the viewer that he or she is watching a Cronenberg movie. The rest of what’s on offer - including everything related to Anna - is banal. Perhaps the director set the bar so high with The History of Violence (a flawed but at times brilliant motion picture) that there was no way he could equal it with Eastern Promises, but for him to fall so far short is nothing less than criminal.

Featuring terrific performances from Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, and Naomi Watts, Eastern Promises is more than your typical crime/gangster film. Their Russian accents are very good and convincing, while their chemistry is also very noticeable. The performances are just one element of a very strong thriller directed by the always dependable David Cronenberg. The story itself is very unique and developed, the characters are all very well-written and truly come to life on the screen. You feel like this is your neighorhood entirely. At times, it can definitely get a little graphic, but for example, one scene that is very bloody and graphic is so well shot and choreographed that you cannot really get mad at that excessive violence. As a whole, Eastern Promises is a very thrilling gangster film and while I kind of pieced together the ending, it is was still very interesting and really a nice little twist at the end that differentiates it from other gangster flicks.

The best way to describe Eastern Promises is a boring bloody mess that is completely anti dramatic. A movie that piles cliché after cliché while tries to hide its lack of originality with gruesome violence.

Mortensen is fantastic here, and Naomi Watts could've been, but the way she was written brings limitations to the role. Overall, the film is excellent, but passes up on some opportunities that could've made it great.

a David Cronenberg masterpiece! Tough, blank and honest it gives the audience a good ( and pretty frightening) insight into the Russian Mafia, merciless and brutal crme gang. Going home after watching the movie one feels happy that it was just a movie.....

An uncompromising crime drama from David Cronenberg. This is an artist hitting his stride, first with History of Violence and now Eastern Promises. The film works both as an engaging drama and one hell of a thrill ride of a movie.

Mortensen was mesmerising, so much so I almost forgot the farrago of LOTR. It wasn't the same person. He was effortlessly menacing, yet still human; the plot and all the rest of the actors moved around him in the shadows - except for Armin Mueller Stahl who was (literally) the only genuine Russian. Vincent Cassel gave his usual panto performance. Naomi Watts was weak and couldn't transcend the implausibility she was being asked to cover up for. Everything tailed away somewhat disappointingly after a powerful first half and I was left watching the closing credits wondering what kind of fool I'd just been taken for. But at least I watched the closing credits because I was still thinking about it.

How can this movie get such a high rating ? It was awful, unbearable to watch. The acting was absolutely appalling, I cannot believe that good actors such as Mortensen and Cassel would agree to be a part of this ridiculous mess. The opening scene was so bad, you know the film can only get worse if it starts out bad. Absolutely horrible.

Such a good film. I honestly think that Viggo Mortenson was robbed of an Oscar. Vincent Cassel was also very good as the smarthy, wormy Kirill. Naomi Watts wasn't awesome but Motensons performance more than made up for it. An excellently directed film and very well written.