Eastern Promises (2007) November 11, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Cinema, Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: David Cronenberg
Director David Cronenberg continues his slow journey into the world of mainstream filmmaking with this story of a displaced Russian mafia syndicate and the innocent hospital worker who becomes entangled in their world as she fights to protect a newly born child. To say that it breaks free from the sometimes existential subject matter with which the director is best known may be a consequence of the grounded narrative rather than his take on it, nonetheless this could also be his most heart-warming story to date – despite the entirely adult themes it deals in.
The film opens with a Russian girl named Tatiana, who dies while giving birth in a London hospital. The on-duty midwife, Anna, feels compelled to try and find a proper family for the baby and attempts to do so with the aid of Tatiana’s diary - one of the few possessions she owned. The diary is written in Russian, but when her Eastern European uncle refuses to translate for her, she outsources the work to a local restaurant owner named Semyon. Unbeknownst to Anna however, Semyon is in fact the head of a London-based Russian mob and has stronger ties to Tatiana then he lets on. As he applies pressure to Anna in order to cover his tracks, she looks for help from the mob’s driver Nikolai, who finds himself with split loyalties but an opportunity to move into a greater position of power.
Firstly, when I say that this film is a product of mainstream filmmaking, you have to understand that this is a relative term and not one that tries to compare Eastern Promises with Pirates of the Caribbean, for example. For Cronenberg, the work is entirely more measured and dramatic in nature, although that’s not to say we don’t get to revel in a couple of violent delights. The much talked about bathhouse scene is undoubtedly the peak of this, as our main character fights for his life in a brutal and relentless fashion, while unashamedly displaying the full extent of his heritage found through the tattoos that adorn his body.
For a role that demanded both a grasp on languages and a moody, threatening presence, David Cronenberg turned to his previous collaborator, Viggo Mortensen. After working on A History of Violence [review] together, the pair clearly formed a solid working relationship which is shown in the performance displayed here by Mortensen: unsettlingly dedicated and brilliantly true to life as a Russian driver for the mob. What’s interesting is how the character of Nikolai displays the backwards journey from that of Mortensen’s character of Tom Stall in A History of Violence - linking these two films by more than just their accessibility to the common audience. They aren’t the same by any means: Eastern Promises is more visceral in its violent moments and darker in tone. But what does strike a chord is the mirroring of Mortensen’s characters, including his position come the final shot of the movie.
In all the analysis of Nikolai, I wouldn’t want to detract from the other central performances by Naomi Watts as maternity worker Anna, and Vincent Cassel playing the sleezy, drunken son of a mob-boss, Kirill. Cassell certainly has the devious undertones to play a mobster, although as ‘the boss’, Armin Mueller-Stahl must be ruthless and calming as he deals with his business and Anna in different manners. Luckily, he pulls it off, although maybe quite how evil his character is said to be in conversations between the characters and details from the life of Tatiana (the dead mother), is not made entirely convincing.
An English screenwriter, Steven Knight, pens the screenplay which is quite economical in its use of dialogue. Thick accents and intermittent subtitles fill the movie with little concession for its London setting. Yet, even with so little, the characters still manage to say plenty and there’s not much room for ambiguity in the story which only open-ends itself right in the last 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the film is shot with a realistic overcast visual look, the entire mood stemming from how we all associate English weather. Rays of sunshine push through when we see the good-natured Anna trying to do what is right and forming an unlikely friendship with the driver Nikolai, but even her existence is plagued with some darkness – alone and living with her mother.
Despite great intentions however, this film is not the all-out dramatic masterpiece it could be. The story suffers from some weak plotting, including a rather too explicit mention of Anna’s previous lost-pregnancy that really need not be there, and a stepping over of potential adoption laws that could diminish the conclusion if analysed too thoroughly. In a dramatic sense these issues could be sidelined as creative license, but in a film that never hurries itself towards a conclusion it’s a shame that more time wasn’t spent ironing out some of the kinks. Still, at only 100-minutes the film doesn’t outstay its welcome and the story that unfolds is an involving, if slow-burning, piece of drama.
Fans of the earlier Cronenberg works have, by enlarge, found his recent efforts to be a disappointing turn towards stories that don’t exclude a large proportion of the audience with their grim, gory fantasy elements and weighty subtext. Cronenberg himself insists that he does not pick projects based on their content or how it might relate to the audience’s perception of what his work should be. Still, I can’t help but think that in his maturing years, the director has made a choice, albeit an unconscious one, to step away from what he is known for and mark out a new niche for himself: the non-commercial mainstream. What A History of Violence started, Eastern Promises continues, with a wry nod to his explicit undercurrents thrown in for good measure. For my money, if this is to be the new Cronenberg, I’m happy to take it.
Comments»
I know what you mean - I’m certainly a bigger fan of the likes of Videodrome, Naked Lunch, Brood, etc. But looking at History of Violence as being much more mainstream then it’s certainly a good piece of work even if it’s not in the same arena as earlier stuff, but rather than complaining about people moving on, changing, or trying different things out, it’s a good idea (and an open-minded one) to accept films on their individual merits. Incidentally, I’m currently looking at a couple of his really early works - Stereo from around 67 and Crimes of the Future a couple of years later. Stereo is very odd and I’ll be trying to put up a couple of reviews of these soon (if I can figure them out).
Thanks for your comment Paul. Now, I can’t admit to being hugely knowledgeable about all of Cronenberg’s older work, especially since I confessed to my intermittent viewing-gaps in his back catalogue earlier in the year. However, I have also admitted over at a well known DVD forum to preferring (based on current experience) his recent stuff. Whether this is a product of my inexperience, or just an inability to tune in to the director’s existential visions of the 80’s and 90’s, I still don’t know.
I look forward to reading about those very early films - hopefully you can unravel their mysteries for us.
Some of his more ‘existential visions’ as you quite nicely (and accurately) put it can be great experiences if you get into them. Of course they’re a fairly acquired taste and definitely more challenging than his more commercial work, these factors helping to keep them away from mass appeal, but the effort can be worth it. Videodrome and Naked Lunch for example are things that really can improve over multiple viewings as you unravel more of their mysteries each time (much like some of Lynch’s work but not quite in the same league of complete bewilderment). I actually stay away from in depth reviews of such things because I enjoy conducting my own interpretations
BTW, Cronenberg is a pretty smart and sentient bloke and his commentaries are generally worth bothering with much more than what you generally find on DVDs.