Eastern Promises, Blu-ray (2007)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Meuller-Stahl
Director: David Cronenberg
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment 62105473
Video: 1.85:1 widescreen
Audio: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1
Extras: Featurettes, Interviews, U-Control PIP functions
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Feature Length: 101 minutes
Rating: ****
David Cronenberg has developed quite a following for his sometimes totally whacked out vision with such horror classics as “The Brood,” “Videodrome,” “The Fly” and “Dead Ringers.” His films in recent years have moved pretty much away from the horror genre, but later films like “Crash” and “A History of Violence” still have retained a generous helping of the graphic violence and often horrific subject matter that usually makes for a compelling watch, nonetheless. Eastern Promises, his latest film, explores the Russian mafia that apparently has taken something of a stronghold in London. Once again, Cronenberg has employed the incredibly talented Viggo Mortensen in the central role, and he gives a really dynamic turn as Nikolai, who passes himself off as a mere chauffer for mob boss Semyon (Armin Meuller-Stahl). Naomi Watts plays a nurse, Anna (who is of Russian descent), who is trying to unravel a mystery surrounding a Russian prostitute who died while giving birth, leaving behind only a diary written entirely in Russian. In hopes of reuniting the baby with family, her clues lead her to Semyon, who passes himself off as just a grandfatherly restaurateur, and he agrees to help her translate the diary. We soon find out his motives are not so grandfatherly after all, and Viggo is much more than just a driver for the boss.
The acting is uniformly superb throughout; Armin Meuller-Stahl gives a particularly bracing performance, and it’s amazing to watch the tenderness with which he deals with his granddaughters, and – moments later – the savagery with which he deals with his hot-tempered and insolent son, Kirill (played by Vincent Cassel). Viggo Mortensen is also excellent in an Oscar-nominated performance; the much ballyhooed steam room fight scene between Mortensen and a couple of mob thugs is unbelievably realistic, but at the same time incredibly, brutally violent and more than just a little difficult to watch. This movie is definitely not for the faint of heart! However, David Cronenberg has gone to great lengths to make the movie as realistic as possible, and all the details, from the lavish restaurant sets to Mortensen’s lavish prison tattoos all add to the movie’s incredible sense of believability.
Technically, the Blu-ray disc is a total knockout. The image is presented in reference quality, with no signs of any grain or artifacts. While the movie’s presentation is overall a very dark one, it nonetheless boasted superb contrast and a really remarkable color palette, and was a joy to watch! The DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack was also impressive, and even though the movie is very dialogue heavy, the audio was truly immersive and sprang to life whenever the onscreen action dictated it. The disc also features some really interesting bonus materials, including one featurette that explains the meaning behind Viggo’s intricate tattoos. Unfortunately, the interactive features came up a tad short, with only two really brief offerings about the bath house scene and how Naomi Watts learned to ride a motorcycle. At least all the bonus features were in HD!
I give this movie very high marks; in many ways, it’s a return to form for Cronenberg, and while the squeamish may find some of the visuals a tad too disturbing, it was nonetheless a really well-crafted and superbly acted tale. Very highly recommended!
— Tom Gibbs
