EASTERN PROMISES [2007] review

February 16, 2008 · Print This Article

Sometimes a movie can be mostly one note and still be intriguing. Such is the case with EASTERN PROMISES. Thanks in large part to the immense screen presence of Viggo Mortensen, the dark and dreary London landscapes pop and hum with a controlled energy. His character spoke in a broken Russian accent and wore dark sunglasses, and was obviously overqualified for the job he repeatedly stated as, “just the driver.” A midwife finds a diary written in Russian, which she can’t read. She asks her uncle to translate it, but he refuse. This leads her to seek someone who is willing, and this person turns out to be the boss of a Russian mafia family.

As the secrets of the diary become known to both parties, life and death moves are made and a surprising mystery unfolds. I say surprising in that I didn’t expect there to be a mystery story of that level nor for there to be such good plot twists.

EASTERN PROMISES is a satisfying peak into an interesting world that “regular” people, as told in the movie, should just not get involved in.

There were some very gory scenes I had to avert my eyes from.

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