David Cronenburgs follow up to the brutal "The History Of Violence" is a glossy well choreographed piece of cinematic entertainment set within the streets of London, which while ostensibly is a gangster film is first and foremost, one about the bonds and ties of family. However, when critiqued in its entirety as a film there are some gaping holes which do not lend themselves well to the overall feel of the film, and when compared to its contemporaries, doesn't quite achieve the heights to which it aspires.
Eastern Promises is an absorbing viewing experience with London setting an epic background, composed of grey murky skies and the inevitable rain which couples quite suitably the bleakness of the film. Cronenburg has been viewing films of the genre, that much can be seen, as Eastern Promises resembles in certain circumstances "Leon" or "The Beat That My Heart Skipped", and he quite aptly has been able to create the hybrid situation of the family unit and the gangster surroundings successfully. Naomi Watts manages to project an air of innocence, while at the same time managing to come across world weary, and although she does occasionally slip into a faint Australian twang, for the most part is convincing as Anna, as she is thrust into the dangerous world of the mafia. Counterbalancing her naïveté, is the 'hitman' Nikolai as played by Viggo Mortensen, who oozes charisma on screen with a cold blooded, thick layered Russian accent who becomes entangled with Anna as the two worlds from which they come from collide.
For the most part Promise is, well, promising, it's not a blistering romp but nor does it come across as a right-off, with the bath scene providing much excitement, especially for any females in the audience you may be with (I'm sure you've heard by now), that is until however, it's ripped away from you in the most grotesque manner. With gangster films which attempt to embed a sense of morality into their tale, like 'The Godfather', or like 'Leon', there must be an extended period of time devoted to the protagonist who battles the conflicting values of his better judgement and his 'obligations'. In 'The Godfather' Michael Corleone fights his family and his conscience before succumbing to being what he strived so hard not to, in 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' Romain Duris' Thomas Seyr battles with the line of work he has fallen into due to his father against the love for the piano bestowed within him by his mother. 'Eastern Promises', sets you up with the potential for this battle being waged, and while dipping in and out of it, we as an audience never thoroughly connect to the point where we end up sweating out the decision Mortensens' Nikolai is to make. Then with the revelation of the inevitable 'twist' all sense of justice is taken from the viewer, and all the hard work is embezzled as the script manages to cheaply deviate around this key obstacle for the genre without a second thought.
Were it not for this glaring violation of the genre 'Eastern Promises' would be a rip-roaring success, but the cheat only cheapens the film in itself and comes across more as an after thought as opposed to an intrinsic part of the story. This isn't to belittle or indeed not acknowledge the talents of not only the actors but the director, cinematographers and all who took part, but with so many films of the type being around and while harbouring and showing so much promise, 'Eastern' delivers something unbefitting of the director, something average.
Eastern Promises is an absorbing viewing experience with London setting an epic background, composed of grey murky skies and the inevitable rain which couples quite suitably the bleakness of the film. Cronenburg has been viewing films of the genre, that much can be seen, as Eastern Promises resembles in certain circumstances "Leon" or "The Beat That My Heart Skipped", and he quite aptly has been able to create the hybrid situation of the family unit and the gangster surroundings successfully. Naomi Watts manages to project an air of innocence, while at the same time managing to come across world weary, and although she does occasionally slip into a faint Australian twang, for the most part is convincing as Anna, as she is thrust into the dangerous world of the mafia. Counterbalancing her naïveté, is the 'hitman' Nikolai as played by Viggo Mortensen, who oozes charisma on screen with a cold blooded, thick layered Russian accent who becomes entangled with Anna as the two worlds from which they come from collide.
For the most part Promise is, well, promising, it's not a blistering romp but nor does it come across as a right-off, with the bath scene providing much excitement, especially for any females in the audience you may be with (I'm sure you've heard by now), that is until however, it's ripped away from you in the most grotesque manner. With gangster films which attempt to embed a sense of morality into their tale, like 'The Godfather', or like 'Leon', there must be an extended period of time devoted to the protagonist who battles the conflicting values of his better judgement and his 'obligations'. In 'The Godfather' Michael Corleone fights his family and his conscience before succumbing to being what he strived so hard not to, in 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' Romain Duris' Thomas Seyr battles with the line of work he has fallen into due to his father against the love for the piano bestowed within him by his mother. 'Eastern Promises', sets you up with the potential for this battle being waged, and while dipping in and out of it, we as an audience never thoroughly connect to the point where we end up sweating out the decision Mortensens' Nikolai is to make. Then with the revelation of the inevitable 'twist' all sense of justice is taken from the viewer, and all the hard work is embezzled as the script manages to cheaply deviate around this key obstacle for the genre without a second thought.
Were it not for this glaring violation of the genre 'Eastern Promises' would be a rip-roaring success, but the cheat only cheapens the film in itself and comes across more as an after thought as opposed to an intrinsic part of the story. This isn't to belittle or indeed not acknowledge the talents of not only the actors but the director, cinematographers and all who took part, but with so many films of the type being around and while harbouring and showing so much promise, 'Eastern' delivers something unbefitting of the director, something average.