Eastern Promises

My word, I think I’ve just seen one of the most deeply ambiguous gangster films it’s been my pleasure to watch.

I’ve had a quiet night in, with fellow movie fans, and nearish neighbours, Paul and Adrian — and I’ll confess there’s others I’d like to ask along, as well, as soon as they’ve got the chance to take me up on it — and Adrian, managed to bring along the David Cronenberg directed mobster flick that is “Eastern Promises”.*

I was impressed.

Definitely, impressed!

Usually, a gangster film isn’t my first choice of film for the evening.   That’d usually feature a lot of either aliens, tentacles, lesbians, or all three.   (I really should catch up on Japanese manga and animé, I really should!)

But this seriously dark grey film had me riveted to my seat … and, as many of my friends will tell you, a film that does that has got something going for it.

I’ll try not to spoil it for you, and warn you about the link to its entry on IMDb, coded into the title.

But it is a very Russian feeling picture; — I think I can safely speak for myself, Adrian, Paul and I, in saying that we’ve all collectively had the impression that the Russians are a very direct people, who, in a crisis, don’t muck about.

I’m thinking of the incident, a few years ago, now, when Chechen terrorists hijacked a Moscow cinema, and held the audience hostage.

The Russian army’s reaction was extreme; – according to the quick bit of reading I’ve managed to check, something like sixty-seven of the hostages were killed.

By the Russian Military.

That’s just an example, but one hear’s stories —possibly apocryphal— of Russian atrocities that probably have their roots in the communist run regime of Joséf Stalin.

Who wasn’t an especially nice chap, it must be said.

And, certainly, towards the end of World War Two, the Soviet military weren’t exactly well behaved …

But I’m digressing, here.

The point I’m trying to make is that, with this film, David Cronenberg has captured the howling storms, and darkness, the snow and ice, and threatened darkness, that one seems to have filtered into the impression one gets of Russian, in pop culture.   Mussorgsky’s “Night On A Bare Mountain” has it as well.   (Just as a contrasting point, here, one of my neighbours, Olga, is Russian, and has one of the sexiest accents I’ve ever heard!)

That’s the feel I get from “Eastern Promises”; — it feels very Russsian, if you get me?

I’ll try to contrast it with others, if you’ll bear with me … ?

The classic DePalma/Al Pacino version of “Scarface” is great, but very American, I feel: loud, in-yer-face, and with tons of bullets flying everywhere.

And “Snatch” and “The Long Good Friday” are very English feeling films.   And not in a “tea with the Vicar” way either … loud, certainly, plenty of flying ketchup and brass, but wordier and wittier than their US counterparts.   Certainly, for out and out humour value, Bricktop’s pig monologue, in  “Snatch”, ranks as one of the funniest, and scariest, movie speeches I’ve seen in a long time.   And a large dollop of that scare factor is the humour of it.

I’m digressing, again, aren’t I?

Here’s my point.

“Eastern Promises” is a very different mobster movie; – dark, doomy, Russian, even.

And well worth watching …

*I’d like to thank him for that, and to thank Paul, as well, for the chocolate fingers, as well.   Hell, the diet can wait.   Paul managed to put a smile on my face, with that and the incense, bless him.