Eastern Promises (2007)

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Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg Reuniting for Eastern Promises 2?

Mar 26, 2010

A new story reveals the star, director and writer Steven Wright are coming back.

American Gangster, Casino and Eastern Promises Get Gangster on Blu-ray on October 14th

Aug 15, 2008

We have some early details on this trio of Universal BD titles.

Eastern Promises Makes Its Way to DVD on December 26

Nov 5, 2007

Check out the DVD details for this latest Cronenberg/Mortinsen drama.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS: David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, and Vincent Cassel Make Eastern Promises

Julian RomanSep 17, 2007

Sex slavery and the Russian mafia make great cinema in one of the best films of the year

Production Begins on David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises

Nov 17, 2006

A crime-thriller starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.

Vincent Cassel Keeping Eastern Promises

Aug 30, 2006

The David Cronenberg thriller starring Naomi Watts.

Critics Score

89%

Release Date

September 14, 2007

Director

David Cronenberg

Writer

Steven Knight

Cast

Josef Altin
Mina E. Mina
Aleksander Mikic
Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse
Lalita Ahmed
Badi Uzzaman

Official Website

focusfeatures.com

Eastern Promises Synopsis

The mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin (Mr. Mortensen) is a driver for one of London's most notorious organized crime families of Eastern European origin. The family itself is part of the Vory V Zakone criminal brotherhood. Headed by Semyon (Academy Award nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl), whose courtly charm as the welcoming proprietor of the plush Trans-Siberian restaurant impeccably masks a cold and brutal core, the family's fortunes are tested by Semyon's volatile son and enforcer, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), who is more tightly bound to Nikolai than to his own father.

But Nikolai's carefully maintained existence is jarred once he crosses paths at Christmastime with Anna Khitrova (Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts), a midwife at a North London hospital. Anna is deeply affected by the desperate situation of a young teenager who dies while giving birth to a baby. Anna resolves to try to trace the baby's lineage and relatives. The girl's personal diary also survives her; it is written in Russian, and Anna seeks answers in it.

Anna's mother Helen (Sinéad Cusack) does not discourage her, but Anna's irascible Russian-born uncle Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski) urges caution. He is right to do so; by delving into the diary, Anna has accidentally unleashed the full fury of the Vory.

With Semyon and Kirill closing ranks and Anna pressing her inquiries, Nikolai unexpectedly finds his loyalties divided. The family tightens its grip on him; who can, or should, he trust? Several lives - including his own - hang in the balance as a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution reverberates through the darkest corners of both the family and London itself.