Eastern Promises (2007)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writer:

Steven Knight (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Every sin leaves a mark.

Plot:

A Russian teenager living in London who dies during childbirth leaves clues to a midwife in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Diary | Baby | Midwife | Driver

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 24 wins & 35 nominations

Cast

Josef Altin	...	Ekrem
Mina E. Mina	...	Azim
Aleksander Mikic	...	Soyka
Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse	...	Tatiana (as Sarah Jeanne Labrosse)
Lalita Ahmed	...	Customer
Badi Uzzaman	...	Chemist
Naomi Watts	...	Anna
Doña Croll	...	Nurse (as Dona Croll)
Raza Jaffrey	...	Doctor Aziz
Sinéad Cusack	...	Helen (as Sinead Cusack)
Jerzy Skolimowski	...	Stepan
Tatiana Maslany	...	Tatiana (voice)
Viggo Mortensen	...	Nikolai
Vincent Cassel	...	Kirill
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Semyon

Also Known As:

Promesses de l'ombre (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language and nudity.

Runtime:

100 min | Canada:96 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | Canada | USA

Language:

English | Russian | Turkish | Ukrainian | Urdu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18 | Australia:R | Ireland:18 | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Taiwan:R-18 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/16 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | Brazil:16 | Malaysia:18PL (cut) | Argentina:16 | Israel:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Japan:R-18 | Thailand:PD-14 | Canada:XXX (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Broadway Market, Hackney, London, England, UK

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [David Cronenberg] [Music]Howard Shore score

Goofs:

Factual errors: Azim and his nephew Ekrem are all apparently Turkish characters and Azim is part of the Turkish mafia. However, the Turkish spoken by the actors is heavily broken and pronounced entirely improperly, the Turkish words and dialog are clearly phonetically memorized.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Azim: He says "Christmas." So I say to him,
[in Turkish]
Azim: "Should we go shopping?"
[English]
Azim: The kid's 16. He says, "But uncle, it's Christmas."

Movie Connections:

Featured in 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

By the River Dunay

Cronenberg delivers.

I know a gent that did police detective work in St Petersburg, Russia for a couple of years, mostly blackmarket stuff. One night over dinner he told me, "In St Petersburg everything is available. And you don't want to know what everything is". Eastern Promises has more than a little bit of 'everything'.

Some real edge of your seat moments in this instant classic. Set in dark wet, and noir London, Eastern Promises takes a look into a Russian Gangster mentality and culture with some scenes that will make both your skin crawl and your heart ache. This is one tough and nasty thriller. Not for the squeamish.

A twisted morality tale of family dynamics, gang loyalty and one possible way the Good Guys just might usurp the Bad. Every principal character etches a note that resonates true to the scale of the story. And its an excellent dark dark black hearted story full of places and people that you just hope this movie is as close as you ever get to them. Genuinely bad characters with such exquisite details that it doesn't feel like fiction.

Go see it. Pleasant nightmares!