BLTN: Eastern Promises

(Better Late Than Never), in which I’ve had to wait to watch a flick because of limited funds, time, lack of a theatre showing a small film, etc. My job affords me the ablity to watch movies for free once they hit the pay channels (HBO, Cinemax, etc.), and no I don’t work in a video store…………….although I indeed once did. So there are times when the wallet dictates I wait, so is my first viewing of David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises”

There are directors that most, if not all, film geeks can acknowledge as “masters” Kurwosawa, Welles, Chaplin, Hithcock, modern ones like Scorsese, Altman, etc. Then there are the cool, “fringe” guys that they fight over whose better, Lynch, Cronenberg, Fitcher, Aronofsky. I personally would watch Lynch and Aronofsky over Cronenberg, but still after his work in “History of Violence” I was more than willing to check out Viggo “I’m more than LOTR Fanboy!” Mortenson and another blonde, this time Naomi Watts, twist in Cronenbergs world. Watts is a midwife who becomes involved with Viggo’s Russian mob family ties after a 14 year old Russian prostitute dies giving birth, leaving behind a diary full of nasty secrets. So, you’ve got your sure fire summertime feel good hit right there……….

Cronenberg’s world is dark and dirty, as the Russian mob should be I assume, the violence is of course, graphic but not gratutious in any way. Cronenberg just wants you to know this is murder, this is mob “justice”, this is the life these people have chosen.  All involved are great, Viggo is convincing, Watts plays her part well and Armin Mueller-Stahl shines as the head of the family. There are secrets reveled of course, the big “twist”,once revelved, is one that I should’ve seen coming, but didn’t. Really, not a whole lot “happens”, it doesn’t wander aimlessly, and there is a story, but its fairly simple………..and I wanted to see it again right after watching it.

I enjoyed “Eastern Promises” more than “History of Violence”, but the two together would make a great double feature.  “Not a watch with mom” kinda double feature mind you. Unless your mom likes sad Ukranian hookers getting it from behind by a tattoed Russian mob enforcer after watching the same actor bed his wife in their country house while she wears a cheerleader outfit in the film before. Which if your mom likes that kinda thing, good on ya mate.