The Cronenberg Way

Eastern Promises is a film that I had heard people talk about in a way that I had not heard people talk about a movie before.  Everything from the way violence is shown in the movie, to the story, to the acting made me want to see this movie.  I just watched it for the first time, and I am very glad that I did.

After a Russian teenager dies during childbirth, her journal is found which reveals that she was raped, with possible links to a Russian mob.  The thing that I loved about this movie the most is that I cannot imagine any film-maker but Cronenberg tackling this story.  I am becoming a bigger Cronenberg fan the more and more I see his films.

Viggo Mortensen portrays Nikolai in the cold way that only Mortensen can.  You can see in his eyes that Nikolai has a great deal of experience and wisdom doing his job, and Viggo plays that very effectively.  Viggo Mortensen is an actor who can say so much just by the look in his eyes, and when you see that look you are very afraid of what is coming next.

Naomi Watts plays Anna.  Anna is a very strong and independent woman who is quite capable of thinking for herself and marches to the beat of her own drum.  After the baby's mother, Tatiana, dies, Anna stops at nothing to find other family members who can take of her child, who Anna has named Christine.  The sheer tenacity of this character is not something we find in female characters today, and it was quite refreshing.  She also has no hesitation whatsoever about going off on her uncle.

Vincent Cassel plays Kirill, who parties too much and is extremely reckless.  You can very effectively see in his eyes that he is disappointed that his father does not approve of the way he lives his life, which is probably why he drinks so much.  You can also see that Kirill is jealous of Nikolai because Nikolai and his Kirill's father share a real bond that Kirill clearly does not have with his father.  I have not seen much of Cassel's work, but the more I see him in film, the more I see that he is truly a chameleon actor.

What I love about David Cronenberg so much, especially after seeing this film, is that he clearly has his own voice.  He pushes boundaries with his movies, particularly in the way violence is shown in his work.  Sometimes there are scenes in his films that are difficult to watch, but that is what makes David Cronenberg the director that he is.

I loved this movie simply because of how it was portrayed on screen.  I had never seen anything like it before.  In an age where film-makers are constantly copying one another, David Cronenberg shows that true talent comes in originality.  I also am looking forward to seeing Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen do more films together.