12.8.08

capsule review: eastern promises

I was skeptical going into Eastern Promises. David Cronenberg, although a skilled director, never inspired much confidence in me based on his filmography. And the synopsis – about a dangerous Russian gangster under threat from a woman who knows too much - excited me about as much as any movie about gangsters tend to excite me, which is to say, not at all. But as the saying goes, an optimist can never be pleasantly surprised and boy was I pleasantly surprised. Eastern Promises, first and foremost, is a real looker. Cinematography, direction – I think it just clicked why Cronenberg is so well regarded. Even the violence, which is incredibly raw and graphic at times is never gratuitous. Brutal, unnerving, yes, but justified given the nature of the characters and plot.

And then, there’s Stephen Knight’s script. Here’s a literate character study in the guise of a tense thriller set within the internal operations of the Russian mob in London. This is writing that seamless molds impressive performances – Armin Mueller-Stahl and Viggo Mortensen shine, shine, shine. This is writing with depth. Relationships are hinted at, but not consummated. Shades of grey are relentlessly and authentically human. Organic plot developments come by their surprise honestly. Eastern Promises is layered, complex, and captivating to the end.

3 comments:

Shaking Shenoy said...

Great article Frederik! Have you seen Alix Lambert's 'The Mark Of Cain'? Eastern Promises derives a lot from this profound documentary...

Frederik Sisa said...

Thanks! I haven't seen The Mark of Cain, but it definietly sounds interesting. The special features on the Eastern Promises DVD did talk about how Cronenberg and Knight obsessed with getting the details of prison tattooing right. I'll add it to the 400 or so movies on my Netflix queue.

I did see a news feature a few years ago on human trafficking and the sex trade in Eastern Europe - impoverished women from countries like the Ukraine (if I remember correctly) and breakaways from the old Soviet Republic. Very harrowing stuff.

Shaking Shenoy said...

Yes, do check it out! The premise of the documentary is how prison tattoos determine the rank of an inmate and what he's been through in his 'career'. In the process one gets to see the sad and inhuman state of Russian Guglags....

Human trafficking is such a twisted reminder of how we treat our own kind. Even some of the Asian nations including mine, India has a reputation for this ungodly trade. It's really sad!