Eastern Promises (2007)

David Cronenberg, a fellow Canadian, delivers his follow-up film to A History of Violence with an even more violent film and with the same lead actor, Viggo Mortensen. (Mortensen lost the Oscar for lead actor to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood)

A midwife comes across the diary of a Russian teenage mother who dies in the hospital while giving birth. She seeks help in translating the diary which indites various people in the local Russian mob for unspeakable acts. Her searching embroils her into dangerous relationships and puts the baby's life at risk.

It would make sense that Mortensen delivers the film in a state that is palpable to audiences. Cronenberg's films tend to be wooden, overly crafted, and slightly contrived to make a point. Mortensen brings a fluidity, power and depth of character that is easily lost in Cronenberg's scripts. The story sort of peters out as the ending climax doesn't match the climax a couple scenes earlier.

If the film wasn't shot mostly on location, they did a superb job on the set. Having a rainy London as the backdrop for the criminal activities of the Russian mob is very poetic as East meets West.

Truth: Only courageous people can truly be an effective force against those who do evil without restraint.

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