Compelling but brutal mafia film for adults only.
Comment
10/22/07
Eastern Promises (2007)
89
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:185
Fresh:164
Rotten:21
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: David Cronenberg triumphs again, showcasing the Viggo Mortensen's onscreen prowess in a daring performance. Bearing the trademarks of psychological drama and gritty violence, Eastern Promises is a very compelling crime story.
Theatrical Release:26-10-2007
Synopsis: The new thriller reteaming acclaimed director David Cronenberg with his A History of Violence leading man Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises is written by Steve Knight (Academy Award-nominated... [More]
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Director: David Cronenberg
Reviews for Eastern Promises
A gritty, shocking and darkly entertaining crime thriller that coats its action with a layer of barrel-bottom sleaze.
10/21/07
It's a chilling portrayal of another darkly complex character for Mortensen, and while David Cronenberg's film lacks the completeness of A History of Violence, its intrigue, contrasts and wonderfully described Russian life, is one we have not seen before
10/21/07
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10/20/07
By most standards, this would count as a moody and sophisticated thriller - but it just does not quite live up to the Cronenberg promise.
10/17/07
David Cronenberg tells a story of the Russian mob in London as only he can--indeed, with ample doses of brutal, bloody, extreme violence.
10/14/07
Eastern Promises is mostly predictable throughout the film, but that never diminishes the intrigue and drama of the story.
10/14/07
It's a raw film with a few problems (one being that you don't care for Anna as much as you care about the gangsters). It's cool, but disturbing... and worth a look.
10/12/07
A predictable plot with trademark David Cronenberg highlights is salvaged by a great cast... but just barely.
10/11/07
...this movie slows down to a crawl to examine the grim reality of people who live without hope, controlled by monsters who pretend to be human.
10/11/07
An unforgettable bathhouse brawl immediately takes a place among Cronenberg's best and most outrageous sequences (and with this director, that's really saying something).
10/10/07
Moreso than most crime films, Eastern Promises bears the heavy, omnipresent weight of history.
10/06/07
If you enjoy a good mob movie (and who doesn't?), then you'll enjoy Eastern Promises, which delivers a great one.
10/06/07
I see award nominations all over the place here--it is simply a crackling arthouse of talent in every craft.
10/02/07
It's just too bad Eastern Promises, on the whole, promises more than it delivers.
10/01/07
A fresh blast of toxic air that lingers.
09/30/07
Eastern Promises is a good movie, no doubt... but the script might have made a better movie in the hands of a director with less of a vision
09/30/07
For all his three-dimensional humanism, it's clear Cronenberg likes his men to get their hands dirty and enjoys watching small-boned women dish out sass. In short, everyone in a Cronenberg film has to have the same kind of balls he does or they won't make
09/28/07
After the movie ends, and you recall its various touchpoints, Cronenberg's work suddenly acquires unexpected retrospective depth.
09/27/07
Double-crosses, violent fights, and secret plans make the film feel like a good episode of the Sopranovs. This could well be Cronenberg's best film of this decade, atmospheric and exciting.
09/27/07
Latest News for Eastern Promises
April 03, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: Sony announces Men in Black III
Right smack in the middle of this week was April Fool's Day, so some stories this week had to be always be viewed with a grain of salt, but there was indeed real movie news. ... More...
March 30, 2009:
Cronenberg Making More Eastern Promises 
Surprise! David Cronenberg is planning a sequel to "Eastern Promises." (Warning: if you haven't seen "Eastern Promises," and plan to one day, skip the finale-spoiling first... More...
November 05, 2008:
MovieReign.com: Barbershop throat slitting, nude macho wrestling and eye gouging in a bathhouse, and far too willing underage Ukrainian sex slaves. A double vodka, please.
More...
February 17, 2008:
SONY Tropfest
SONY TROPFEST, the world's largest film festival, once again pulled crowds of over 150,000 as it screened the 16 finalists films for 2008. More...
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