  
Eastern PromisesMPAA Rating:
 for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language and nudityReviewed by: Steven Warburton Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Adults
Genre:
Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Drama
Length:
1 hr. 40 min.
Year of Release:
2007
USA Release:
September 14, 2007 (wide)
           Relevant Issues
“Every sin leaves a mark.” Movies like “Eastern Promises” occupy something of a moral quagmire. We live on planet Earth, a world which—according to St. Augustine—is populated by sinners and saints. Human nature is evil. You don’t even need the Bible to tell you that. All you need is the morning papers. The characters in “Eastern Promises” are also evil, and the movie doesn’t flinch in depicting the extent of how fallen people are. The plot: A 14-year-old girl bleeds to death while giving birth. A nurse takes the girl’s diary, which leads her to get involved with a Russian mafia family. We meet three members of this group of mafiosos, a ruthless father, his equally brutal son, and their “driver” (who may not be what he appears.) At first, the father is very kind to the nurse, but he slowly become more malevolent when he realizes that the diary implicates him. There are two shockingly violent scenes in the movie—one where a man gets his throat slit in a barber’s chair and the other when Viggo Mortensen engages in a brutal knife fight with two gangsters in a Russian bath house. Viggo does the scene totally naked, by the way, and there are brief flashes of full frontal nudity. There’s another scene where Viggo’s character is more or less forced into having sex with a prostitute. This scene is not very erotic. Both characters are obviously comfortable with the act, making it feel more pathetic and sad than it does pornographic. There’s a scene later when Viggo gives the prostitute some money and a religious tract. Touching as it may be, I wouldn’t recommend this as a witnessing technique. A note on the profanity: Sometimes it’s over the top, but there are no instances of Jesus’s name being taken in vain, and, if I recall correctly, no mentions of God in a disrespectful tone either. There are a few f-words, but I’d rather hear the F-word 5,000 times in a row than hear the name of Christ taken in vain once. By the way, the film’s writer, Steve Knight, also wrote the recent movie “Amazing Grace.” Watching “Eastern Promises,” I was reminded of “Goodfellas.” Here are two movies about life in the mob and the luxuries that a life of crime can provide. But far from being advocates of these lifestyles, the films show that the good times do not last long, that you can get taken out at any second for virtually any reason at all. “Eastern Promises” shows human nature as it really is. See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.  Neutral - I went to see this movie at one of the select theatre locations in my city. It is always a risk when going before a lot of people have had an opportunity to see it and/or review it, and here are a few reasons why: the brutality may be true to life for this type of lifestyle that is portrayed in the film, but it is very graphic. The male characters in the film are all very disrespectful toward women, except the lead character Nikolai, who at least believes he has to “right a wrong” against women. This may be a true depiction of this particular group of people (Russian mafia). Women are constantly violated in this film, which is very offensive. There is a strong female character (portrayed by Watts) who manages to become involved in this dark underworld without becoming tainted or changed. Her character is also not violated or compromised in any way. There is full frontal nudity of one of the main male characters, which is a rare occurrence in any generation of film-making. That was something I didn’t expect. A rape scene was also very disturbing. I found myself ducking and wincing often for various and sundry reasons. The film is basically, dark or 'noirish.' Positive - David Cronenberg is dealing with the same issues he dealt with (more effectively) in his last film, 'A History of Violence': Can we be something we are not? Can we re-invent ourselves? Can we be, in effect, our own Gods? In “Eastern Promises” as well as in “A History of Violence” the hero (both times played by Viggo Mortenstern) does try to do each of these things, but instead of creating heaven on earth he creates the opposite. In every Cronenberg film the line between nightmare and reality is blurred; sometimes so is the line between what is acceptable and what is evil. As mentioned by the reviewer the hero does a good deed for a prostitute, and as the story reveals, probably many a good deed for many a prostitute and for every citizen of London (where the story takes place), but he does have sex with that prostitute, and the story indicates that she is most likely an underage prostitute. He tells his accomplice at the film’s climax; “We do not kill babies.” Yes, he does. Cronenberg’s films may not say it explicitly, but it is certainly implicit: we cannot separate who we are from what we do. Comments from young people
Positive - I went to see this movie with a friend on a Wednesday night and was not disappointed. Very good acting, a well made movie all together. I think that the rating somewhat exaggerates the film’s content, such as “Bloody and Brutal Violence” and Graphic Sexuality'. The opening sequence takes you by suprise, and yes while it is bloody, there is nothing too graphic for atleast another hour. The shower room scene was was pretty intense and brutal, but thoes are the only two sequences in the entire movie that stand out as very graphic. The sex sequence is for the most part short, but does show some nudity. There are a few f-words, but this pretty much sums up most of the objectionable content. If you can look past these thing and enjoy a movie with a solid storyline and a well written script, I think “Eastern Promises” is for you. Positive - [***SOME SPOILERS***] |
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