Eastern Promises
Every sin leaves a mark.
Overview
A Russian teenager living in London dies during childbirth but leaves clues in her diary that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.
Backdrop
What makes this movie Worth Watching
Eastern Promises provides a glimpse into the clandestine world of the Vory v Zakone, a powerful and secretive criminal organization with its own strict code and traditions. The tattoos depicted on Nikolai are not mere decoration, but a visual representation of his status and criminal history within the Vory culture, acting as a life story etched onto his skin.
- Viggo Mortensen's Oscar-nominated performance as Nikolai Luzhin is mesmerizing and nuanced, conveying a chilling sense of power and hidden depths.
- The film explores the brutal and complex world of the Russian mafia in London with unflinching realism and suspenseful storytelling.
- David Cronenberg's direction creates a palpable atmosphere of tension and dread, punctuated by moments of shocking violence.
- The film delves into themes of identity, loyalty, and the corrupting influence of power within organized crime.
Fun Facts
- Viggo Mortensen spent months researching and immersing himself in Russian culture to prepare for the role, even learning to speak Russian and studying Russian criminal tattoos.
- The bathhouse fight scene is considered one of the most brutal and realistic fight scenes in cinema history, and was largely improvised by Mortensen and his stunt double.
- The Russian tattoos were incredibly detailed and took hours to apply each day. They also had to be historically accurate to the Vory v Zakone code.
Available Languages
English
US
Title:
"Every sin leaves a mark."
Deutsch
DE
Title: Tödliche Versprechen - Eastern Promises
"Jede Sünde hinterlässt ein Zeichen"
Français
FR
Title: Les Promesses de l'ombre
"Chaque péché laisse une marque."
Italiano
IT
Title: La promessa dell'assassino
"Ogni peccato è macchiato col sangue"
Türkçe
TR
Title: Şark Vaatleri
"Her günah bir iz bırakır."
Português
PT
Title: Promessas Perigosas
"Todos os pecados deixam uma marca."
Where to Watch
Cast
Crew
Reviews
Really dumb boring movie. I'm just glad that I got this movie for free and didn't have to waste money on this garbage movie.
"Anna" (Naomi Watts) in the well meaning midwife who wants to repatriate a recently orphaned child with the family of it's deceased mother. All she has to go on is a diary, in Russian, so she takes it to her uncle "Stepan" (Jerzy Skolimowski) who doesn't really want anything to do with it! There's another clue, though - a card that leads her to a restaurant where she meets "Semyon" (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his rather obnoxious son "Kirill" (Vincent Cassel) and his henchman "Nikolai" (Viggo Mortensen). She gets the older man to agree to do some translating for her, but in the meantime her uncle has also decided to have a go after all - and what "Anna" soon discovers sends a shiver down her spine! She now has an idea as to the paternity of the child, but given what she is now experiencing, she faces quite a quandary in knowing what is best (and safest) to actually do. As she and her own family become more embroiled in the perilous antics of London's gangland activities, it might be that she needs to rely a little on "Nikolai" - the only piece on the board that might be able to help. What now ensues is a well acted and scripted story of power, violence brutality and family - and woe-betides anyone who crosses the hierarchy from the mother country. Watts is on good form here and of the men, Mortensen competently takes the top billing - but it's Cassel - usually a good character actor - who stands out here as the vodka-swilling and truly odious brute, and as the denouement looms the tension is palpable and the conclusion anything but predictable. This works better on a big screen if you can as that evokes a better sense of a London with an evil underbelly, but either way it's still at the better end of the vicious crime genre.
Oscar Awards
Wins
Haven't Won A Oscar
Nominations
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE - 2007
Viggo Mortensen
Media
Featurette
What inspired Viggo's famous Russian mobster throat gesture?
Clip
Anna Delivers the Diary to Semyon
Clip
Anna Meets Semyon