Eastern Promises

The actors and the characters merge and form a reality above and apart from the story, and the result is a film that takes us beyond crime and London and the Russian mafia and into the mystifying realms of human nature.Read Full Review »

A rhapsodic movie directed with considerable formal intelligence and brooding power from an original screenplay by Steve Knight, Eastern Promises is very much a companion to "A History of Violence."Read Full Review »

A dark and mesmerizing immersion into a distinctive world.Read Full Review »

David Cronenberg's elegant treatise on the metaphysics of violence.Read Full Review »

The rigor of Mr. Cronenberg’s direction sometimes seems at odds with the humanism of Mr. Knight’s script, but more often the director’s ruthless formal command rescues the story from its maudlin impulses. Mr. Knight aims earnestly for your heartstrings, but Mr. Cronenberg insists on getting under your skin. The result is a movie whose images and implications are likely to stay in your head for a long time.Read Full Review »

This is the first time, though, his (Mortensen)performance seemed so much bigger than the film surrounding it. That he manages the feat with so few wasted gestures puts him in line with the greats.Read Full Review »

In Eastern Promises, shot to envelop by the great Peter Suschitzky, Cronenberg brings us face to face with the horror of self.Read Full Review »

Cronenberg's deeper purpose is to pull audiences into an affecting, powerful story about right and wrong.Read Full Review »

Expertly realized and gunmetal slick, Eastern Promises whirs along with perfect efficiency, but doesn't stir much in the way of visceral horror despite its penchant for treating the human body like a chicken carcass on a block. (Squeamishness, yes.)Read Full Review »

Eastern Promises has a compelling story and strong performances to back up what may seem excessive or sensationalistic.Read Full Review »