After helping deliver a baby of a Russian teenager who dies during the process a midwife (Naomi Watts) takes it upon herself to contact the family members of the newly born child. With only the teenager’s diary to go on she ends up finding a secret in it that involves the Russian mafia.
Who is the Audience for This Movie?
Fans of slow burning gangster movies.
What I Liked About This Movie
From the onset Eastern Promises sports a simple story but like any good story its complexity ramps up as it moves forward. All of the undertones that make it a very rich experience are neither in your face or subtle yet are always present. Like the story, characters motivations/background flesh out quite smoothly. Both of these elements really leave you with a very satisfied feeling when everything finally comes together in the end.
Eastern Promises uses a few moments of violence to jarr the viewer and show the ugly side of the Vory v Zakone (Russian Mafia). Most of the time you see the mafia characters as either calm or emotional so these scenes bring them back full circle to show that at heart they are still very bad people. Out of all the cast Viggo Mortensen puts up the best gangster character. He not only looks the part he even sounds the part. His take on a Russian gangster is captivating. You can really tell he put all of his talent as an actor into the role.
What Didn’t Work For Me
At one point there is a fairly lengthy scene involving Viggo Mortensen that has an appearance by his private area. It is one supporting role the movie could have done without.
Should You Watch This Movie?
Yup.
My Rating (Out of 13)
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Current User Rating: 13 out of 13
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