Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Jan 18, 2008. | Rotten (22). A solid gangster film with some fresh (and some cliched) messages. With access to the girl's diary, Anna is led to Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), the owner of a Trans-Siberian restaurant. But what happens when their cocoon is broached? Its subtext, which is about sex and violence and the way one often dovetails with the other, and the skill of its making, render it gripping enough. All she cares about is the baby, but she learns fast that the baby's life and her own are both at great risk. The story begins violently, first with a murder, then with the death of a teenage prostitute mother. Where the film is slightly let down is in its rushed denouement. Directed by David Cronenberg. Sure, it plays out with a good degree of tension and more than holds your interest but the real draw here is what we don't see. A Russian teenager living in London who dies during childbirth leaves clues to a midwife in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family. Eastern Promises has plenty of those, from a Russian mobster's throat being sawed open by a feeble-minded teenager to Viggo Mortensen's impromptu nudity in a harrowing bath-house scuffle. With a brilliant cast of actors, Cronenberg does a great job at crafting a stunning picture that proves that he is able to make something other than a horror film. The slashing need not immediately concern us. D avid Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises is a straighter version of Inland Empire, which isn’t to say that it isn’t totally queer.David Cronenberg’s new film is the story of a woman in trouble: Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a London midwife who becomes obsessed with finding the family of a 14-year-old prostitute who dies after delivering a child under her watch. |, May 1, 2008 With memorable performances from its cast, especially that of Viggo Mortensen in a finely tuned performance that is menacing, cold blooded, this ranks also as one of his most intense yet. There was a big surprise in "A History of Violence" that pretty much everybody entering the theater already knew. Comments; ... Like the Borscht served on Semyon's Trans-Siberian menu, Promises is filling, flavoursome and full of dead meat. By Chris Cabin. And to me as well. |, October 26, 2007 Cronenberg has said he's not interested in crime stories as themselves. The gangsters of this story have to earn their positions and their stripes which are represented in tattoo form and by doing so, brings forth an genuine air of mystery and intrigue to the characters. She is rushed to the hospital; too late to save her, but midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) delivers the baby, alive. It's the unnerving work of Armin Mueller-Stahl who brings real gravitas as Semyon, the patriarchal head of the family and the quietly affecting, yet very intimidating, Viggo Mortensen who own this film. Definitely worth seeing, even if it lacks some of the punch that the typical gangster film delivers. | Rating: 3/5 This is exemplified with some great performances; Naomi Watts delivers the perfect bewilderment of a women out of her depth and while I'm a huge fan of Vincent Cassel - and his loose-cannon, Kirill, gets a substantial amount to do here - even he isn't the standout. And the gears of the story shift into place when the diary, the midwife and the crime family become interlocked. The actors and the characters merge and form a reality above and apart from the story, and the result is a film that takes us beyond crime and London and the Russian mafia and into the mystifying realms of human nature. for strong, brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language and nudity, HBO's Painting with John is a Magnetic Celebration of Arts and Artists, The Nostalgia of Epix's Bridge and Tunnel is Filled with Wrong Turns, The Sister Sacrifices Logic, Tension as Its Twists Unravel, Visions of Friendship: Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin on The Climb. There is also a brutal knife fight where a completely nude Nikolai must fight off two big knife-wielding assailants. Eastern Promises This film is one of my favourites. Although overflowing with violence, this is nonetheless a creative masterpiece. You may even consider the violent Cuban's of DePalma's Scarface and the Puerto Rican's of Carlito's Way or perhaps the Irish goons from The Coen brothers Miller's Crossing. | Rating: B- It wasn't the horror or dark science fiction that many had come to know him by, but an arresting thriller that was actually based on a graphic novel. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Best Netflix Shows and Series To Binge (January 2021), The 100 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now (January 2021), 100 Best Movies on Amazon Prime To Watch (January 2021). | Top Critics (58) Reserve a table at Eastern Promise, Jakarta on Tripadvisor: See 189 unbiased reviews of Eastern Promise, rated 3.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #338 of 9,686 restaurants in Jakarta. Mortensen's Nikolai is the key player, trusted by Semyon. Their story puts their characters to a test: They can be true to their job descriptions within a hermetically sealed world where everyone shares the same values and expectations, and where outsiders are by definition the prey. Steven Knight's screenplay focuses on the murky world of people trafficking while exploring the tradition and initiation of Russian criminal codes. |, October 2, 2017 Eastern Promises is an exciting story about hypocrisy, decency and different kinds of honour, and about the dark underside of globalisation and multiculturalism. Her uncle begs her to go nowhere near that world. With Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Josef Altin. David Cronenberg triumphs again, showcasing the Viggo Mortensen's onscreen prowess in a daring performance. Not only is it a great crime film, it is also a great character study. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Eastern Promises Blu-ray Review. It's that way with stories about plausible human beings, which is why I prefer them to stories about characters who are simply elements in fiction. 28 likes. Eastern Promises always seems to hang just on the precipice of bad taste and even sheer stupidity, and the artistic accomplishment to which these ends are used is questionable in the end. Eastern Promises has a lot going for it, which makes it all the more disappointing when the story takes a fatal turn towards the end. The film has a very good story that is complimented by the performances of its actors, and it's a movie that is steadily paced and takes it's time for the story to unfold, therefore it's a movie that you are invested it more often than not because you are hooked at will happen next. And for a long time you don't see the why coming. A rhapsodic movie directed with considerable formal intelligence and brooding power from an original screenplay by Steve Knight, Eastern Promises is very much a companion to "A History of Violence." Eastern Promises is a congealed story involving a Russian crime family that have taken their base of operations to London, under the guise of an classy restaurant, Trans-Siberian. I write little about casting directors, because I can't know what really goes on, and of course directors make the final choice for key roles. Cinemark We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future. Literally. |, June 5, 2019 Eastern Promises is the latest effort from acclaimed filmmaker David Cronenberg, whose recent work has elevated his status from that of a cult figure to someone in the mainstrem. No, Mortensen is not Russian, but don't even think about the problem of an accent; he digs so deeply into the role you may not recognize him at first. | Rating: 3.5/4 R (Nudity|Language|Some Graphic Sexuality|Strong Bloody Violence|Strong Brutal Violence), crime, Eastern Promises is an engrossing, technically well-made film—a dark and twisting story with an unexpected ending and even touches of morality. | Fresh (179) But whatever Deirdre Bowen and Nina Gold had to do with the choices in this movie, including what might seem the unlikely choice of Mortensen, was pitch-perfect. When you think of a mob movie, your memory will most likely be jogged to the glamorously brutal Italian American variety. So let's leave it that way and simply regard the performances. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. Despite Viggo's total gorgeousness, a nude fight-for-his-life in a steam room has all the titillation of a butcher throwing down a slab of meat. Eastern Promises takes the viewer behind the scenes of the Russian ex-pat community in London. |, October 12, 2018 What Eastern Promises deals in is humanity and how it is a senseless, jolting dance at times and a ballet at others. Top ten lists Cronenberg creates more mainstream films every now and again and with wonderful results. Although it mines the same well as some of the aforementioned films, it feels like a fresh take on the mob movie, primarily because it's an ethnic group of mobsters that don't often get attention. With Eastern Promises, though, Cronenberg decides to focus on the Russian mafia operating from a restaurant in the drab, Hackney borough of London.
Harry Kindergarten One More One Less,
Crown Catering Naples,
Johnnie Cochran Michael Jackson,
Jab Chhaye Mera Jadoo Lyrics,
Shane And Shane - Ancient Of Days,
Al Shaya Careers,
Karan Aujla New Song,
Tree Of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity Of Life On Earth,
Sight Words For Kids,
Tusculum Baseball 2018,
Rani Meyyammai Hall Rent Per Day,
St Anthony North Family Medicine Residency,
Star Wars Rebels Season 1 Episode 13,
Bussin Lyrics Shoreline,