I know this is a film about Russian gangsters, and I know, therefore, that this films wasn’t likely be High School Musical 3 (although a Russia-based part of the series where all the cast get brutally slaughtered would be more entertaining). That said, there’s a lot of blood in the first few minutes of Eastern Promises. Cronenberg makes it pretty clear that if you’ve come for the filmic equivalent of a pleasant afternoon stroll, you’ve wandered into the nasty part of town.

Naomi Watts plays a midwife who wants to discover the family of a girl born in her unit. The baby’s Russian mother died in childbirth leaving behind no identification other than her diary. As the film progresses, it’s information from this diary that tells you about the leading characters - members of the Russian Mafia (’thieves-in-law’).

Viggo Mortensen plays a driver for the idiot son of the mafia family, and it’s pretty difficult to decide whether he’s scarily likeable, or just scary. Either way, it’s his performance that pulls the film in the right direction when it often looks like it’s losing its way.

The film is violent, very much so, but the violence is used sparingly, and to great effect. This film is much more Godfather than it is Scarface. Mortensen and Watts’s performances are both excellent, and Cronenberg’s direction is classy and understated. If I have a criticism, it’s this: although the film happens to be set in London, it really could be anywhere, and there are few moments when it really feels like a London Film. But that’s a small complaint of what is an engrossing piece of work.

***1/2