Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

From director David Cronenberg and writer Steven Knight comes this glimpse into the brutal and taciturn underworld of the Russian mafia in London.  With a cast of strong actors led by Viggo Mortensen as the tattooed Nikolai and Naomi Watts as Anna, a midwife, Eastern Promises spins a different sort of gangster tale than the ones we are used to seeing about the Italian mafia.

When a young girl named Tatiana dies in childbirth, leaving behind a diary describing all manner of horrific things that were done to her, Anna is drawn into the world of the Russian mob as she investigates the young girl's apparent rape in an effort to find out the girl's identity and save the baby from entering foster care. Her investigation leads her to the Trans-Siberian restaurant where she encounters the restaurant's owner, godfather-like crime boss Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and their "driver" Nikolai.

Things take a dangerous turn when Anna begins to suspect that Tatiana may have been killed by Kirill or Semyon himself and finds unexpected help in the form of their mysterious henchman Nikolai, as Anna and Nikolai develop a near romance that, due to their circumstances, can never manifest itself and must remain unrequited.

Although Eastern Promises has its share of violence and brutally bloody scenes, not the least of which is Viggo Mortensen's infamous bathhouse knife fight, mostly Cronenberg tempers the brutality for an approach that relies more on character study than the violence and expletives we've come to expect from Hollywood gangster films. Eastern Promises may have been the best "mob" film to come along had Cronenberg and Knight actually fully succeeded in diving into the motivations behind these characters, but they fall somewhat short. The script is cleverly written with its reserved dialogue and suspenseful threats bubbling just under the surface, but as an exploration of the Russian mob in London it barely scratches the surface.

Knight's script and Cronenberg's direction tend to sidetrack a bit too much in the fruitless near-romance between Anna and Nikolai as well as leaving the inner workings of the Russian crime organization pretty much unexplored so that what we end up with as a final piece of work can feel a bit facile. Still, they pull off a brilliantly unexpected plot twist that in an instant changes the complexion of the entire film. It's an overall enjoyable piece of work, if not an absolute classic.

The Picture

Eastern Promises lives in a world of shadows and bright reds with hints of reflected moonlight or the warm glow of lamplight and it is all presented quite well in this transfer. The film's 1.85:1 framing is captured in a 1080p/24 VC-1 encoding with solidly deep blacks, natural flesh tones, good shadow detail and a fine level of grain that imparts a natural, film-like quality throughout. The transfer is free of compression and processing artifacts such as macroblocking and edge enhancement and its source is clear and spotless.

The Sound

Eastern Promises' mostly dialogue-driven soundtrack is made available here in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless, and French and Spanish DTS 5.1 options. The lossless soundtrack is adept at handling the film's mostly front heavy dialogue which is anchored to the center channel and conveys a proper sense of realism during the few livelier scenes, such as the scene of the rowdy football fans in the streets after the match.  This scene is one of the few times the soundfield opens up and the surrounds really come alive. Otherwise, the clear dialogue is supported with only mild ambience in the rear channels, which are populated with the reserved use ambient sound effects.

The Extras

Eastern Promises comes with only a small amount of supplemental materials limited to brief "making of" featurettes.  There is some topical discussion on the Russian mob and the trafficking of young girls in England for the sex trade, but it is only briefly explored.

The extras available on this release are:

• Secrets and Stories (1.78:1/high definition) -- In a series of interview segments with director David Cronenberg, writer Steven Knight and the various actors from the film, this quick behind-the scenes "making of" featurette briefly discusses the problems with the Russian mob in England and the trafficking of young girls for the sex trade. In addition, there is some focus on the evolution of the script and some footage of location filming.
• Marked for Life (1.78:1/high definition) -- This brief featurette focuses on one element central to the film -- the tattoos used by the vory v zakone (thieves in law), or Russian mob to display their rank. It was the film's star Viggo Mortensen who came across the information of the importance of tattoos in the Russian crime world and brought it to the attention of David Cronenberg who then made the tattoos a more prominent element in Eastern Promises' story.
• Two Guys Walk into a Bathhouse (1.78:1/high definition) David Cronenberg discusses filming the bathhouse fight scene from the film, most notable for its brutality and Viggo Mortensen's nudity.
• Watts on Wheels (1.78:1/high definition) -- This completely unnecessary supplement is but a brief interview segment with Naomi Watts discussing how this movie was the first time she ever rode a motorbike.

Final Thoughts

David Cronenberg and Steven Knight offer up a "mob" film for a new era, exploring the Russian mafia in London and the brutal inner workings of their seedy underworld. Viggo Mortensen turns in a strong performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination and Naomi Watts' performance only aids to bolster Mortensen's. This Blu-ray Disc release comes with a superbly done video transfer that captures the moodiness of the film without the hindrance of any artifacts and an amply efficient lossless soundtrack as well. For a different take on the mob-film genre, Eastern Promises comes recommended by this reviewer.

Where to Buy

• Eastern Promises on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Also available as part of a set:

• Gangster Gift Set (American Gangster, Casino, Eastern Promises)

Product Details

• Actors: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Muehller-Stahl, Vincent Cassel
• Director: David Cronenberg
• Audio/Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French & Spanish DTS 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: Universal Studios
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 14, 2008
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• List Price: $29.98
• Extras:
  • Secrets and Stories
  • Marked for Life
  • Two Guys Walk into a Bath House
  • Watts on Wheels