Eastern Promises (2007)
Action, Crime, Drama |
Eastern Promises is a British-Canadian gangster film directed by David Cronenberg, from a screenplay written by Steven Knight. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Sinéad Cusack and Armin Mueller-Stahl. It tells a story of a Russian-British midwife, Anna (Watts), who delivers the baby of a drug-addicted 14-year old Russian prostitute who dies in childbirth. After Anna learns that the teen was forced into prostitution by the Russian Mafia in London, the leader of the Russian gangsters (Mueller-Stahl) threatens the baby’s life to keep Anna from telling the police about their sex trafficking ring. As Anna tries to protect the baby, she is enmeshed deeper into the criminal underworld, and she is threatened by the Mafia leader’s son (Cassel) and warned off by the son’s strong-arm man (Mortensen).
Principal photography began in November 2006, in locations in and around London. The film has been noted for its plot twist, the subject of sex trafficking, and for its violence and realistic depiction of Russian career criminals, which includes detailed portrayal of the tattoos which indicate their crimes and criminal status. Eastern Promises received positive critical reception, appearing on several critics’ “top 10 films” lists for 2007.
Anna Khitrova, a British-Russian midwife at a London hospital, finds a Russian-language diary on the body of Tatiana, a 14-year-old girl who dies in childbirth. She also finds a card for the Trans-Siberian Restaurant, which is owned by Semyon, an old vor in the Russian mafia. Anna sets out to track down the girl’s family so that she can find a home for the baby girl, and meets with Semyon, who offers to help. Anna’s mother Helen does not discourage her, but Anna’s Russian uncle Stepan, who claims he is a former KGB officer, urges caution. When Stepan translates Tatiana’s diary, Anna comes to learn that Semyon had raped the girl after his son Kirill’s failed attempt to do so (on account of his homosexuality), gotten her addicted to heroin, and forced her into prostitution. Ultimately, Anna realizes that the baby was fathered by Semyon.
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Steven Knight (screenplay)
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Sinéad Cusack, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Cast:
| Josef Altin | … | Ekrem |
| Mina E. Mina | … | Azim |
| Aleksandar Mikic | … | Soyka (as Aleksander Mikic) |
| Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse | … | Tatiana (as Sarah Jeanne Labrosse) |
| Lalita Ahmed | … | Customer |
| Badi Uzzaman | … | Chemist |
| Naomi Watts | … | Anna |
| Doña Croll | … | Nurse (as Dona Croll) |
| Raza Jaffrey | … | Doctor Aziz |
| Sinéad Cusack | … | Helen (as Sinead Cusack) |
| Jerzy Skolimowski | … | Stepan |
| Tatiana Maslany | … | Tatiana (voice) |
| Viggo Mortensen | … | Nikolai |
| Vincent Cassel | … | Kirill |
| Armin Mueller-Stahl | … | Semyon |
| Shannon-Fleur Roux | … | Maria |
| Lillibet Langley | … | Violin Girl |
| Mia Soteriou | … | Azim’s Wife |
| Radoslaw Kaim | … | Head Waiter (as Rad Kaim) |
| Donald Sumpter | … | Yuri |
| Rhodri Miles | … | Senior Officer |
| Tereza Srbova | … | Kirilenko (as Tereza Srbová) |
| Elisa Lasowski | … | Prostitute |
| Cristina Catalina | … | Prostitute (as Christina Catalina) |
| Alice Henley | … | Prostitute |
| Faton Gerbeshi | … | Pimp |
| David Papava | … | Chechen |
| Tamer Hassan | … | Chechen |
| Gergo Danka | … | Junior Waiter |
| Michael Sarne | … | Valery (as Mike Sarne) |
| Boris Isarov | … | Russian Boss |
| Yuri Klimov | … | Russian Boss |
| Andrzej Borkowski | … | The Gypsy |
| Olegar Fedoro | … | Tattooist |
| Diane Beck | … | Nurse (uncredited) |
| Morne Botes | … | Vespa Rider (uncredited) |
| Petra Bryant | … | Prostitute (uncredited) |
| Tony Cook | … | Football Hooligan (uncredited) |
| James Fiddy | … | Football Supporter (uncredited) |
| Michael Hennessy | … | Car Driver (uncredited) |
| Tatiana Lavrentieva | … | Mafia’s Wife (uncredited) |
| Arnold Montey | … | Paramedic (uncredited) |
| Wayne Morgan-Williams | … | Football Hooligan (uncredited) |
| Anna Pernicci | … | Sonya (uncredited) |
| Robert Roman Ratajczak | … | Football Fan (uncredited) |
| Rebecca Reid | … | Prostitute (uncredited) |
| Peter Rnic | … | Fingers (uncredited) |
| John Warman | … | Policeman (uncredited) |
| Chris Wilson | … | Paramedic (uncredited) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia