Francesco Chello
•London. Nikolai Luzhin is the all-around driver for one of the most important Russian mafia families in the English capital. His life is disrupted by a chance encounter with the midwife, Russian-born Anna Khitrova. Anna is struck by the dramatic story of the fifteen-year-old Tatiana, who died in childbirth, and intends to track down the girl's family of origin so that they can take care of the newborn baby. By digging into the girl's past, thanks to a diary filled with terrible secrets, Anna unwittingly unleashes the wrath of the mafia clan, which asks Nikolai to intervene. Many lives will be at stake in a vortex of increasing violence, where atrocious crimes, deceits, and revenge will be committed.
Sometimes you hear people, for some reason, lamenting why Cronenberg never returned to Horror, but, granted that such a question might actually be lived as a "problem," if the contribution of the Canadian director to the entire world of cinema is provided through different genres and by means of films like this one, then let the good old David continue quietly on other paths; the satisfaction for the viewer will be the same if not even greater.
That's because this "Eastern Promises" ("The Promise of the Assassin") is really beautiful!
An engaging story narrated with mastery and excellently interpreted. But let's go step by step.
Cronenberg's latest work is a dark, elegant but also violent thriller, with very strong noir undertones, gangster movie atmospheres, dramatic touches, and, why not, a hint of melodrama. A
contamination of genres that allows for a deep exploration of the psychology of the characters, all optimally and sufficiently developed, and to stage a skillful intertwining of different human stories. Starting with the central one of the midwife Anna (Naomi Watts) who, eager to shed light and justice on the past of the poor Tatiana, the fifteen-year-old who died in childbirth, risks exposing, thanks to the girl's diary, the shady dealings of a dangerous Russian mafia family. A diary that becomes almost a real character, giving, on more than one occasion during the film, voice (in the true sense of the word) to the unfortunate young girl. This story will be the starting point to
narrate the Russian clan, of Semyon (Armin Mueller Stahl), the old boss intent on keeping the dark secret hidden as well as on "maintaining order" in the family that risks being compromised by his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), a boy with a stormy temper and an obvious inner conflict probably caused by a confessionless homosexuality. Bridging these stories, we find Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), the film's main character, torn between the desire to rise within the clan and the feeling of duty to safeguard the courageous midwife. Stories through which various aspects are highlighted, including two faces of the Russian community: the negative one of the mafia clan and its "business," and the positive one in the case of Anna's family and that of the young prostitutes, like the unfortunate Tatiana, lured abroad with deceit only to be exploited and mistreated.
And how to make the characters' stories engaging if not with outstanding performances by the entire cast? Mortensen, who returns to work with Cronenberg after "A History of Violence," is superb. Perfect, through the great expressiveness of his face and gestures, in portraying Nikolai as cold, mysterious, and yet opening up cracks
of compassion through which it is impossible for the viewer not to question. The excellent Cassel is his counterpart; the French actor gives us a "chaotic" character, apparently stereotypical, problematic, fragile, and secretly suffering. Capable of surprising us in the end. Watts does justice to her role, that of a woman with strong values, eager for justice even at the risk of her own safety, a woman who also carries with her a past pain like that of a tragically interrupted pregnancy. Last but not least, the German Armin Mueller Stahl is excellent in his portrayal of a cynical and ruthless boss, attentive even to the smallest details, because as his character will remember: "It is from the most insignificant detail that problems arise."
Performances even more praiseworthy if one considers the intense preparatory work done by the actors, just think that none of the main actors have Russian origins, that Cassel performs in English with a Russian accent (him who is French!) and that Mortensen himself studied Russian and took a three-week trip to the Urals before filming. Commendable dedication and professionalism, details that, if possible, make us love cinema even more than we already do.
Cronenberg's direction is top-notch, essential and without frills; the photography is stunning. Perfect is the reconstruction, through an almost maniacal attention to every single detail of
places and costumes, of the mafia micro-world that exudes Russia from every frame, a world through whose eyes a reality and a city like that of London are narrated, of which we almost seem not to notice.
Although the film is not essentially built on violent scenes, Cronenberg does not refrain from shocking the viewer with strong and crude images but never for their own sake, rather entirely congruent with the film. There will be no shortage of throat slittings, finger amputations, eye mutilations, and more, all shown in close-up, without cuts that might leave anything to the imagination, and whose sounds echo crystal clear in the viewer's mind, a considerable sense of violence from which one cannot help but be struck.
Even if the Canadian director does not like to talk about it, there are no shortage of the well-known Cronenberg references to the body and its mutations, from the aforementioned violent scenes to the tattooed bodies of Russian criminals, a constant of the film as well as a very important element for the story, whose drawings, which tell their personal story, give charm and mystery to the past of each character. Tattoo, we said, a relevant element as a key to the past but also to a possible future, a symbol of belonging to aspire to, as will be the stars, emblem of the clan, for Nikolai, who will lead us to the beautiful scene of the affiliation ceremony, the apex of the explanation of the mafia mentality.
The film offers several scenes that will remain in the viewer's memory, but one deserves a mandatory mention: the now famous sauna scene. A truly fantastic scene! We will see Viggo Mortensen defending himself, naked, against two killers, all in a truly exciting sequence, in which director and actor give us an unforgettable performance. A raw, violent, extremely realistic scene capable of conveying at the same time sensations of suffering, fear, hatred, rage, pure survival instinct. One of the best of all time in the genre.
The film does not lack plot twists (which would be a real shame to reveal) capable of maintaining high tension and continuously renewing interest in the film during the same viewing.
Cronenberg has built an elegant, powerful, deep thriller, with chilling and unsettling atmospheres. An exciting author noir, characterized by a crescendo of tension marked by some anthology sequences. Great film. Highly recommended.
Quote: "I'm just a driver. I go right, I go left, I go straight.." It goes without saying that in this statement, good Nikolai will significantly (and intentionally) sin of modesty... see for yourself!
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