Post by Quorthon on Feb 11, 2008 13:29:46 GMT -5
Eastern Promises
Drama
2007
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: David Cronenberg
USA
So, I’m a pretty big Cronenberg fan. I say “pretty” because I have yet to purchase all of his stuff, or see every last bit, but I really do enjoy the hell out of his movies. So, after History of Violence, I was really looking forward to this film. Just to give you a heads-up before you read a review that may or may not be biased!
Eastern Promises is a story that weaves the fates of one English family of Russian heritage, an orphaned Russian baby, and the Russian mafia together in London, England. The quickest way I can relate this without giving away too much is to say that Naomi Watts is a doctor in a hospital where an underage girl dies as she gives birth to a fatherless child with no next of kin. Watts is trying to find the girl’s family and trying to decipher that information from her diary which was about the only possession she had when she died. The diary is written in Russian, and Watts enlists the help of a friendly Russian restaurant owner who just happens to be a mafia boss. Viggo Mortensen works for the Russian Mafia boss and his son, and his fate becomes interwoven with Watts—of course.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--If you liked History of Violence, you’ll likely enjoy this. It has that organized crime slant, Viggo again, and much the same atmosphere and pacing.
--Excellent acting all around. If you thought Viggo Mortensen’s skills had peaked with History of Violence, then “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
--Interesting story with some nice twists and turns.
--The film offers up a variety of surprises and unexpected shots.
--Very good atmosphere—the film lingers on giving every single character an air of mystery and suspense. You learn about everyone at an equal pace and pretty much everyone has surprises in store. Nothing is ever given away or blatantly fed to us, rather, it is all very eloquently revealed.
--The film has the same kind of “this is all you really need to know” feel that came with History of Violence, where we get important pieces, but not a massive in-depth back-story. Sometimes, all we get are a few short lines and that’s all that’s necessary to tell the story. Rather than getting a thick movie with a lot of plot elements to monitor, we are presented with only enough information to make the movie work. For me, this meant that the movie had focus, but some people may be left wanting a bit more detail.
--The momentary scenes with violence and gore were pleasantly entertaining.
--Good cinematography. Works well to aid the atmosphere of the movie and help us to understand the characters.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--Music was nothing especially special.
--Less overt gore than a lot of Cronenberg’s work, but he still manages to shock with some of the violence we see.
--The story doesn’t exactly end with a bang, but like much of the rest of the movie, is just “revealed” and to some, may be open to interpretation.
--Generally light on action—it focuses on characters and drama.
--Some sexual dialog, one sex scene, but some rampant nudity in one scene.
--The film whips back and forth from English to Russian and the accents are heavy—may be difficult to follow for some people.
The Bad:
--The pacing was typically pretty good, though slower than the average Hollywood blockbuster, so that may be an issue to some.
--Not nearly as much “bloody violence” or “graphic sex” as the descriptors under that “R-rated” tag would seem to imply.
The Ugly:
--Nothing, really. Unless you’re offended by the kind of stuff in the Memorable Scene…
Memorable Scene:
--Viggo Mortensen way naked and fighting two guys in a sauna. You won’t believe your eyes.
Fun Stuff:
--Viggo’s hair.
--Bored strippers/dancers/sex slaves.
Acting: 9/10
Story: 9 /10
Atmosphere: 8 /10
Cinematography: 8 /10
Character Development: 9 /10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10
Dialog: 8/10
Music: 7/10
Direction: 8 /10
Nudity: 9/10
Sexuality: 5 /10
Violence: 5/10
Gore: 3/10 (not as plentiful as many Cronenberg pieces, but decent quality)
Cheesiness: 0/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
In the end, I think History of Violence and this film have a lot in common, besides just Viggo and Cronenberg. Similar feel, atmosphere, and pacing. As such, it’s easy to get into for fans of History of Violence, but in the end, does feel quite as fresh as that movie did. Still, and entertaining and interesting film. Highly recommended.
Drama
2007
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: David Cronenberg
USA
So, I’m a pretty big Cronenberg fan. I say “pretty” because I have yet to purchase all of his stuff, or see every last bit, but I really do enjoy the hell out of his movies. So, after History of Violence, I was really looking forward to this film. Just to give you a heads-up before you read a review that may or may not be biased!
Eastern Promises is a story that weaves the fates of one English family of Russian heritage, an orphaned Russian baby, and the Russian mafia together in London, England. The quickest way I can relate this without giving away too much is to say that Naomi Watts is a doctor in a hospital where an underage girl dies as she gives birth to a fatherless child with no next of kin. Watts is trying to find the girl’s family and trying to decipher that information from her diary which was about the only possession she had when she died. The diary is written in Russian, and Watts enlists the help of a friendly Russian restaurant owner who just happens to be a mafia boss. Viggo Mortensen works for the Russian Mafia boss and his son, and his fate becomes interwoven with Watts—of course.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--If you liked History of Violence, you’ll likely enjoy this. It has that organized crime slant, Viggo again, and much the same atmosphere and pacing.
--Excellent acting all around. If you thought Viggo Mortensen’s skills had peaked with History of Violence, then “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
--Interesting story with some nice twists and turns.
--The film offers up a variety of surprises and unexpected shots.
--Very good atmosphere—the film lingers on giving every single character an air of mystery and suspense. You learn about everyone at an equal pace and pretty much everyone has surprises in store. Nothing is ever given away or blatantly fed to us, rather, it is all very eloquently revealed.
--The film has the same kind of “this is all you really need to know” feel that came with History of Violence, where we get important pieces, but not a massive in-depth back-story. Sometimes, all we get are a few short lines and that’s all that’s necessary to tell the story. Rather than getting a thick movie with a lot of plot elements to monitor, we are presented with only enough information to make the movie work. For me, this meant that the movie had focus, but some people may be left wanting a bit more detail.
--The momentary scenes with violence and gore were pleasantly entertaining.
--Good cinematography. Works well to aid the atmosphere of the movie and help us to understand the characters.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--Music was nothing especially special.
--Less overt gore than a lot of Cronenberg’s work, but he still manages to shock with some of the violence we see.
--The story doesn’t exactly end with a bang, but like much of the rest of the movie, is just “revealed” and to some, may be open to interpretation.
--Generally light on action—it focuses on characters and drama.
--Some sexual dialog, one sex scene, but some rampant nudity in one scene.
--The film whips back and forth from English to Russian and the accents are heavy—may be difficult to follow for some people.
The Bad:
--The pacing was typically pretty good, though slower than the average Hollywood blockbuster, so that may be an issue to some.
--Not nearly as much “bloody violence” or “graphic sex” as the descriptors under that “R-rated” tag would seem to imply.
The Ugly:
--Nothing, really. Unless you’re offended by the kind of stuff in the Memorable Scene…
Memorable Scene:
--Viggo Mortensen way naked and fighting two guys in a sauna. You won’t believe your eyes.
Fun Stuff:
--Viggo’s hair.
--Bored strippers/dancers/sex slaves.
Acting: 9/10
Story: 9 /10
Atmosphere: 8 /10
Cinematography: 8 /10
Character Development: 9 /10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10
Dialog: 8/10
Music: 7/10
Direction: 8 /10
Nudity: 9/10
Sexuality: 5 /10
Violence: 5/10
Gore: 3/10 (not as plentiful as many Cronenberg pieces, but decent quality)
Cheesiness: 0/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
In the end, I think History of Violence and this film have a lot in common, besides just Viggo and Cronenberg. Similar feel, atmosphere, and pacing. As such, it’s easy to get into for fans of History of Violence, but in the end, does feel quite as fresh as that movie did. Still, and entertaining and interesting film. Highly recommended.
