I was particularly interested in David Cronenberg’s new film Eastern Promises, as I have long been interested in all things Russian, and the sinister underworld of the Russian mafia in London sounded like a captivating premise.
I was not disappointed.
An enthralling narrative unfolds at a wonderfully controlled pace, and Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl deliver brilliant performances.
Viggo Mortensen portrayal of a particularly compelling character is beautifully directed by Cronenberg, who – through clever scripting and editing – ensures that we are never quite certain of his motives. He gives an extraordinary performance, from mannerisms, Russified english accent and even his Russian is very good (a russian speaker informed me).
The production design is superb, and through lush cinematography Cronenberg creates a hellish alternative vision of London as a modern metropolis overlayed on a medieval foundation that is never far from the surface both physically and morally. This is London: “the promised land” desired by the unnamed 14 year old prostitute whose diary is presented through several non-diegetic voice-overs . This is the capital of a empire of modern slave-trading; a metropolis of plenty and excess for those profiting from sex slaves.
In this respect, it has many similar themes to The Jammed (Australia 2007 Dee McLachlan) though it engages in them less directly.
Whilst the violence is extremely graphic and almost unbearable in parts, the film uses these brutal, deliberate attacks to convey the sharp end of the vicious and cruel economies that this subculture operates upon.
Easily one of the best films I have seen this year.
