Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 101 mins – 2007 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1

Director David Cronenberg has tackled various subjects in his body of work, but Eastern Promises is unique, because though many may lump it into the mob movie genre, it’s far from it. Cronenberg has proven that he doesn’t do anything in a typical manner, so anyone expecting to see a Scorsese type film is going to be in for a surprise. Eastern Promises is available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Video, and for those of who are tired of basic formula films, this one is worth your attention.

THE MOVIE

Eastern Promises takes place in London where a pregnant young girl arrives at a hospital bleeding, but she dies giving birth and her baby survives. A midwife at the hospital, Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), finds the dead girl’s diary, but it’s written in Russian. Anna wants to find the girl’s family to give them the diary and let them know about the baby. Finding a card inside that diary, she is led to a restaurant owner named Semyon (Armin Meuller-Stahl), who attempts to help her by translating it, but he’s not telling her everything. Anna slowly begins to figure out that Semyon is a high figure in the Russian mafia, and information in this diary can link him and his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), to criminal activity. Now the lives of Anna and her family are placed in danger, making her find help in an unlikely ally named Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen), who is the personal driver and muscle for Semyon.

Let me just say this up front and get it out of the way, Viggo Mortensen owns this movie. There’s a point when an actor is so absorbed in a role, that they become completely possessed by the character, like Robert De Niro in Raging Bull. Mortensen, who is most familiar to us as Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings films, gives one of the best performances in cinema as man trying to climb the criminal underworld ladder, as well as battle his own personal demons. Trust me, when he’s on screen he owns every frame of it, and deserved the Academy award nomination he received for Best actor.

Director David Cronenberg, who is better known for his extreme science fiction movies, first worked with Mortensen in the excellent 2005 film, A History of Violence, and with this alliance they have created a film that will be watched for years to come. Cronenberg is no stranger to dark subjects, so the way he’s captured the underworld of the Russian mob is so intense, that is makes the gang of in the Sopranos look like choirboys. Nothing has been glamorized, as it usually is in American mobster movies, so instead of wanting to be one of these guys, you would never even want to be in a room with one of them.

Most Cronenberg films are violent, so if you’re squeamish, you will be looking away in several scenes, particularly the sequence in the steam room where Nikolai is targeted to be killed, and has to fight his way out by whatever means necessary. Trust me, after that scene is over you will rewind and watch it again, because you won’t believe what you just saw. The finale of A History of Violence was insane, but the steam room sequence in Eastern Promises will make you cringe.

Eastern Promises has a great cast of primarily character actors, but even someone with movie star status like Naomi Watts holds her own. If this was a big budget Hollywood film it would have been a mess with someone like Nicholas Cage or Bruce Willis doing bad Russian accents; but Cronenberg goes far deeper, allowing his casts to pull more out of their characters, because there’s nothing holding them back you being conventional.

For those of you who missed it in theaters, or never got around to seeing it when it came out on DVD, do yourself a favor and see this movie. This is one of Cronenberg’s best films, and definitely Viggo Mortensen’s best performance on film to date. If you have a Blu-ray player and you’re looking for something different than the standard Hollywood movie, give Eastern Promises a look.

VIDEO

Eastern Promises comes through with an excellent transfer, showing a full 1080p image in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Cronenberg uses a very dark palate to set the mood of the film, so most of the scenes have actors sitting in dark rooms, and outdoor shots look gray and foggy. Details are great, showing off the textures of clothing perfectly, and the lines on every actor’s face can be seen with perfect clarity. Viewers should be very satisfied with the image.

AUDIO

With a TrueHD DTS 5.1 audio mix, Eastern Promises delivers clear dialogue and background noises such as in street scenes sound natural. Other than an occasional gunshot, there really aren’t many stand out audio scenes; but the mix is done well to fit the material, just don’t expect any bells and whistles.

EXTRAS

There’s really nothing worthy available in terms of bonus material, which is a let down because this is a film where you really would appreciate a director’s audio commentary track and a full making of documentary.

‘Secrets and Stories’ is a ten-minute behind the scenes look at the movie, with a small selection of interviews from Cronenberg and the cast.

‘Marked for Life’ is a quick six-minute piece where Viggo Mortensen shows off the tattoos that were painted on his body to help his character look more realistic.

‘Two Guys Walk into a Bath House’ runs barely two minutes and looks at the films steam house fight.

‘Watts on Wheels’ is a quick minute, showing the actress learning how to ride a motorcyle.

BOTTOM LINE

Eastern Promises is definite one of the best films out there, and worthy for not only fans of David Cronenberg, but just anyone looking for a solid drama with excellent performances. This Blu-ray has mint picture quality, but seriously lacks extras, because it would have been great to hear a commentary track from Cronenberg. It may not be on the top of your Blu-ray wish list, but Eastern Promises should be considered.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 2.0

Bottom Line: 3.5