Eastern Promises (2007)

Title: Eastern Promises

Director: David Cronenberg

Starring: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, and Armin Mueller-Stahl

Rated: R

Released: 2007

Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Oscars: Nominated for 1

Basic Plot: A woman dies in childbirth and leads Anna into dealings with a Russian mob family.

Spa Scene
Now I don't think Viggo Mortensen is one of the hottest actors out there, but he's very good looking in this movie. The highlight of his sexiness is shown in the spa scene where he fights for his life against two men while he is nude. You'll truly enjoy this scene if you are sexually into guys and like action that is VERY violent. The director and Mortensen agreed that Mortensen's character had to fight in the nude. I am VERY glad for this decision.

Normal People
There is a discussion in this movie about how Anna shouldn't go further into her investigation about the woman because "normal people" don't. The film takes this theme about normal people getting involved in something, though this theme is cliche, to a very good end. This is helped by excellent performances by the cast and the story adding up (mostly).

Hints That Are Obvious
Some movies depend on characters making stupid decisions to move the plot forward. This movie is no different. Anna takes the diary to the mob boss to translate. At first nothing is that suspicious, so I can forgive her, but then he starts dropping hints at his true intentions. It's at that point that I am angered that Anna continues to see this man.

Final Thoughts
This movie was very fun to watch. As a movie about the mob...I can't really say if it's good for its genre. This is because I'm not familiar enough with the genre. It was a decent movie with twists and turns throughout. It was not a good movie to see if you want to believe in the goodness of humanity (as only three people, at most, are good). So I would suggest not trying to think too deeply during this movie and you'll be in for a good ride.