|
|
|
"EASTERN PROMISES" (R)
Naomi Watts and Viggo
Mortensen star in Cronenberg's riveting "Eastern Promises"
By Clayton Davis
Eastern Promises, the highly anticipated
film by A History of Violence director David Cronenberg is an
exceedingly riveting motion picture. It is jam-packed with elevated
levels of suspense, top notch performances and a storyline to die for.
The film tells the story of Nikolai and Anna; two people who's paths
cross and unravels a very powerful mystery at hand. When Anna (played
exquisitely by Naomi Watts) finds a young infant it leads her to
London's most powerful families which could ultimately destroy her and
her family. In the middle of the dilemma is Nikolai, (in Viggo
Mortensen's best performance to date) whose presence brings shutter to
the viewer.
While Mortensen and Watts turn in flawless performances Oscar may have
problems with both. With Mortensen, we run into the same problem we did
with A History of Violence, a seamless execution of artistry but too
reserved for Oscar's forte. Naomi Watts may fall into the Maria Bello
problem of category confusion. This critic is unsure of where to place
her, but she may fair
better in supporting but alas, the performance itself doesn't measure to
her 21 Grams work.
The revelation of the picture comes from the Oscar nominated Armin
Mueller-Stahl who brings fear and torment to the audience as "Semyon,"
the head of the London crime family. His "Semyon" (who is reminiscent of
Jack Nicholson's snubbed work in The Departed) brings sheer brilliance
to his role and may be an unseen frontrunner in the upcoming Oscar race.
As Alan Arkin captured his Oscar last year for veteran status, Stahl may
do the same.
Vincent Cassel also turns in an accomplished performance but with his
character having such an unlikable factor and no true "Oscar scene" to
stand on, Cassel may be overshadowed greatly by Stahl. Cassel plays
"Kirill," the son of Semyon and heir to the throne of the crime family.
His spoiled "Kirill" is as obnoxious as he is compassionate and cowardly
as he is sensitive. Cassel is an actor to watch in the near future.
But with uncharted work coming from the actors and a smooth elegant
script by Oscar nominated Steven Knight, the praise and commendation
merits to the overdue director, David Cronenberg. This is a very
Cronenberg-like film with huge amounts of violence and much talked about
naked Viggo fight sequence but with the capture of the tone, aggression
and subject matter of the motion picture, Cronenberg excels once again
in a genre he's all too familiar with. He'll probably be a personal
favorite this year for a nomination but Oscar tends to not favor this
type of work.
Eastern Promises, is a crime thriller of the ages but doesn't rank with
previous works like The Departed and Goodfellas but should categorized
on its own. An outstanding work with excellent cinematography and an
even potent score; this film is quite enjoyable and keeps its promises
indeed.
****/**** |
|
|
