Eastern Promises

"Eastern Promises" is the latest film from director David Cronenberg, the man who was thoughtlessly left off of the nomination list for Best Director for his work on "A History Of Violence." He has now usurped Martin Scorsese as the man in desperate need to be recognized by Oscar for his endlessly brilliant and original work. Like all the great directors, he has a style all his own that is very recognizable. Like Spielberg, Scorsese, or even David Fincher, you can tell when you are watching one of his movies. And that's not just because there are moments of violence that are horribly disgusting. We all know that he's very good with that stuff.

This movie actually marks the first movie that Cronenberg has ever shot entirely outside of Canada, and it reunites him with his "History Of Violence" star, Viggo Mortensen. These two have become close compadres since that great film, and they may end up becoming the next great duo in filmmaking like Scorsese and DeNiro. Both are meticulous in their approach and tireless in their research of the movies they are involved in making. Their preparation is almost scary as they don't seem to miss anything.

The plot revolves around a midwife named Anna (Naomi Watts) who tries to find the closest relatives to a young lady who died while giving birth to a baby girl. In the girl's belongings, Anna finds a diary belonging to the girl that is written in Russian. In an attempt to find a way to deliver the baby to relatives and avoid her being shipped off to the unsettling world of foster care, Anna has the diary translated by both her racist uncle and a seemingly friendly owner of a restaurant (Armin Mueller-Stahl).

Anna will soon find that lesson we all keep hearing every once in awhile; the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Anna soon uncovers a hideously evil gang of people neck deep in a world of rape and violence, and this world begins to subtly threaten her and her family as she continues to try and do the right thing.