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David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (spoilers galore)

58.110.44.127

Cronenberg teams with the writer of Dirty Pretty Things for this story of the Russian mafia in London.
I have one major problem with this film.
It's heart revolves around a teenager who dies in childbirth, a 15 year old heroin addicted child whose death not only creates not a ripple in the hospital but so little interest that the midwife keeps her diary and starts her own investigation, a gangster can walk off with the child and the midwife can finally keep the baby as her own without anyone noticing or caring.
Despite the fact that this interacts with a police undercover operation. But you don't learn that until 5 minutes from the end, when it is in for one scene and then gone again, as if the writers only thought of it as the budget was running out.
Naomi Watts is her usual pale self and London is typically wet and grubby.
Violence is sudden and bloody but at least one scene is straight from Night Of The Living Dead.
A double cross/set up of an underling by the head of the Russian gang is signed so far in advance that you wonder if it can possibly be THAT obvious.
Not unwatchable, but I would not suggest going out of your way to see it.

Follow Ups:

I think Mortenson was brilliant. - free.ranger 20:58:41 10/17/07 (4)
Viggo Mortenson was great. He made a C+ movie into an A-. That constant facial expression with the hollow presence and painted smile, designed to keep anyone from knowing him or what he was thinking, was a terrific performance.

Although the undercover role was kept brief and only revealed at the end, it tied the whole movie together beautifully. We never saw it coming. It was only a glimpse into a bigger story, but I thought it was a masterstroke.

At the end, I walked out wanting to know more about him and the bigger story.
- This could be a "Godfather" series...it certainly ended that way.... - mr grits 06:24:47 10/18/07 (2)
  Viggo will take an Oscar home some day.
  
  .
  Complicit Constapo Talibangelical since MMIII
  - A series might let something happen - dave c 12:59:09 10/18/07 (1)
    After the film I tried to work out what actually happened during it and really not that much.
    The undercover cop seemed to get promoted (from the last scene of him) and the midwife kidnapped the baby (which no one had paid attention to anyway.
    - Well............(spoilings) - mr grits 16:42:16 10/18/07 (0)
      He seemed to have "gone off the reservation" and they wanted to reel him in but his "promotion" was too tempting to do so. Another words, he seemed to leave messes in his wake. That's an intriguing plot hook for next time. Give it a good three years and we may see a new chapter. Hope so.
      
      .
      Complicit Constapo Talibangelical since MMIII
- Agreed he was the best thing in it - dave c 00:12:33 10/18/07 (0)
  Unfortunately for me he was the only good thing in it!
  I genuinely thought the undercover thing was coming although not as obvious as "Set up the new guy".

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