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Eastern Promises (2007) Rank 5 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Eastern Promises (2007) a score of 3.1285 out of 4
based on (243) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
Excellent
(85)
Very Good
3
Very Good
(123)
Good
2
Good
(30)
Fair
1
Fair
(5)
Poor
0
Poor
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Reviews by Score:
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Film Scouts (Jason Gorber)Film Scouts (Jason Gorber)
It starts very well, and we're immediately drawn into this world of dead pregnant teens, the Russian mob, the hermeneutics of tattoos and the archetypal disappointment of a father with his son. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film Scouts (Jason Gorber)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for hybridmagazine.com hybridmagazine.com
Eastern Promises is the second collaboration between Canadian director Cronenberg and leading man Mortensen, and like their previous work A History Of Violence this one pushes the audience’s limits offering full frontal male nudity, graphic violence and ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at hybridmagazine.com
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Twitch (Michael Guillen)Twitch (Michael Guillen)
The reviews are pouring in on David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, and all-in-all they’re quite favorable. It scored the highest among the select jury compiled by Screen Daily at the Toronto ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Twitch (Michael Guillen)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Foote on Film (John H. Foote)Foote on Film (John H. Foote)
Earlier in his career David Cronenberg had a reputation for being a director of horror films, though in recent years he has evolved as a director, moving in different areas and quietly becoming one of the most gifted directors working in cinema. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Foote on Film (John H. Foote)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Raimi, Jackson, Cronenberg. How is it that onetime horror directors are becoming some of our best filmmakers? After driving the tongue-in-cheek “Evil Dead” series to cult acclaim, Sam Raimi’s biggest shock ended up being the depth of 1998’s taut ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Killer Movie Reviews (Andrea Chase)Killer Movie Reviews (Andrea Chase)
Cronenberg here is at his twisted, brilliant best ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Killer Movie Reviews (Andrea Chase)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Rob Gonsalves)eFilmCritic.com (Rob Gonsalves)
At first glance, it may seem out of character for director David Cronenberg — master of twisted body-consciousness films like 'The Fly,' 'Dead Ringers' and 'Crash' — to take a tour of the Russian underworld of London in his new film 'Eastern Promises. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Rob Gonsalves)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for efilmcritic.com (Dan Lybarger)efilmcritic.com (Dan Lybarger)
As he matures, Canadian director David Cronenberg takes seemingly conventional movie ideas and finds compelling angles that most other filmmakers ignore. On the surface, ‘Eastern Promises’ is a grim, hard-hitting look at London’s Russian mob, but ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at efilmcritic.com (Dan Lybarger)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
It's a mouthful of blood with a vodka chaser. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Oregonian (Shawn Levy)Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
In its assured pacing, framing, cutting and detail, the film takes on an almost supernatural air. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Movie-Vault.com (LaRae Meadows)Movie-Vault.com (LaRae Meadows)
Eastern Promises gives us a glimpse into Russian organized crime in London and what happens when an innocent person gets wrapped up in its seedy existence. Amazing visuals and beautiful acting make Eastern Promises worth seeing. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Movie-Vault.com (LaRae Meadows)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Film School Rejects (Nate Deen)Film School Rejects (Nate Deen)
A dark, blatant, and in-depth look into the underworld of the Russian Mafia, David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises is vastly superior to his previous feature, A History of Violence, in almost every aspect of filmmaking. The first scene is a bloody one tha ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film School Rejects (Nate Deen)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
There are several moments in "Eastern Promises" that warrant discussion. The bloodletting that opens the film, for example, or the way someone puts out a cigarette with his own tongue before casually cutting up a corpse. You remember things like that. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg ("The Dead Zone"/"Rabid"/"Naked Lunch"), one of the world's best, teams up again with History of Violence star Viggo Mortensen for this devilishly intelligent and most entertaining followup film that's also a crime ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)
Eastern Promises isn't so much a motion picture as it is a master class in performance nuance and tonal control...an extraordinarily threatening crime saga made with unnerving skill and exquisite detail ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols)Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols)
Eastern Promises isn't particularly long, but it feels full -- full of tension and excitement and beautifully staged scenes. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
A film that takes us beyond crime and London and the Russian mafia and into the mystifying realms of human nature. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Newsday (Jan Stuart)Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Whether in cloaked repose or naked defense, Mortensen dares you to take your eyes off of him. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Can Magazine (Fred Topel)Can Magazine (Fred Topel)
I didn't make a whole lot of notes during Eastern Promises because there wasn't a whole lot to critique. It does what it does expertly. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Can Magazine (Fred Topel)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for RogerEbert.com (Jim Emerson)RogerEbert.com (Jim Emerson)
Eastern Promises is shockingly gorgeous, for all the ugliness it portrays. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at RogerEbert.com (Jim Emerson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" opens with a throat- slashing and a young woman collapsing in blood in a drugstore, and connects these events with a descent into an underground of Russians who have immigrated to London and brought their crime family ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
David Cronenberg's latest is a fairly traditional gangster story. It's not too long, and it doesn't particularly have anything to say about the gangster genre the way GoodFellas or Miller's Crossing did. With less violence and graphic language and maybe ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)
If there is one unifying theme that links the films of David Cronenberg–both the icky horror extravaganzas such as “Scanners” and “The Fly” and the disturbing psychological dramas like “Dead Ringers” and “A History of Violence”–it is t ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
"Eastern Promises" isn't so much a motion picture as it is a master class in performance nuance and tonal control. It's a feature that drills into the senses, building an atmosphere of anxiety and ambiguity that strangely never imposes itself on the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for St. Louis Post-DispatchSt. Louis Post-Dispatch
Anna (Naomi Watts) is a London midwife on a mission. She’s determined to learn as much as she can about a baby whose mother was involved with ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Eastern Promises is not just one of this year's best films, it is also my pick for the best David Cronenberg movie to date. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for NOW MagazineNOW Magazine
...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at NOW Magazine
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Channel 4 Film (Matthew De Abaitua)Channel 4 Film (Matthew De Abaitua)
A violent taut thriller that explores an entirely different moral universe: Hackney. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Channel 4 Film (Matthew De Abaitua)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
The personal diary of a Russian girl who dies while giving birth at Christmastime attracts the attention of Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
Eastern Promises will probably be remembered most for the nude fight scene featuring its lead, Viggo Mortensen. Although to only focus on that would be to lose sight of what a great movie it is overall. It is definitely one of the best movies of the year ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Denver PostThe Denver Post
A man meets his end, yammering, then not. A teenage mother dies in an ER delivery room. A child is born. Death and birth ignite the slow burn of David Cronenberg's darkly thrilling crime drama "Eastern Promises." Two years ago, when the Canadian ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Denver Post
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Reinvention may not be the right tern to describe the current phase of the supremely gifted Canadian director David Cronenberg, but he is certainly on a roll, making more accessible films, with high-profile stars, that remarkably do not compromise his ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Projection Booth (Rob Humanick)Projection Booth (Rob Humanick)
It hurts so good. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Projection Booth (Rob Humanick)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The AgeThe Age
I guess you could call Eastern Promises David Cronenberg's Christmas movie. It might be a tale of violence, murder, criminal gangs and grim moral choices but it is, after all, set during the festive season and the fate of a sought-after newborn child is ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Age
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
I see award nominations all over the place here--it is simply a crackling arthouse of talent in every craft. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) (Randy Shulman)Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) (Randy Shulman)
After the movie ends, and you recall its various touchpoints, Cronenberg's work suddenly acquires unexpected retrospective depth. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) (Randy Shulman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
In many ways, "Eastern Promises" is a harsh, sobering picture. But what the hell, allow me to go on about the most extreme parts first! Right from the start, there's a botched assassination in a barbershop that's sure to make you take notice. A bit later ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Eclipse Magazine (Sheldon Wiebe)Eclipse Magazine (Sheldon Wiebe)
This film leads us to wonder how far we would go to do the right thing in such circumstances - all the while entertaining us with his dark humor, intense characterizations and moments of explosive violence. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Eclipse Magazine (Sheldon Wiebe)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
London as a murky wood filthy with wolves. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)
Ah, September is here. And with it arrive the "serious" movies. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for musicOMH (Neil Dowden)musicOMH (Neil Dowden)
It boasts a suspenseful screenplay by Steve Knight, who also wrote Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things, a shocking exposé of the exploitation of London’s migrant workers. Whereas that film revolved around the illegal body-organ trade (albeit lapsing ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at musicOMH (Neil Dowden)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
A fresh blast of toxic air that lingers. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for VarietyVariety
A superbly wrought yarn set in the milieu of first-generation Russian mobsters in London that is simultaneously tough-minded and compassionate about the human condition, "Eastern Promises" instantly takes its place among David Cronenberg's very best ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Variety
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Nolan's Pop Culture Review (Michael A. Smith)Nolan's Pop Culture Review (Michael A. Smith)
With Oscar season almost upon us, "Eastern Promises" fires the first shot in the race for the golden boy. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Nolan's Pop Culture Review (Michael A. Smith)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Grabs you, holds you, and won't let go. It's a film that you carry around with you for days after seeing it. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)
In just a few months, as critics compile their Best-of-2007 lists, you'll start hearing about how '07 was such a horrible, wretched year for movies. It's inevitable; they say this whether or not it was a good year or a bad year. And hey, it's ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for UGO (Brian Tallerico)UGO (Brian Tallerico)
Love him or hate him, no one makes movies quite like David Cronenberg, a man who can take an otherwise cut-rate Russian mob thriller and turn it into something absolutely fascinating. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at UGO (Brian Tallerico)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)
It’s pretty serious business in movie-loving circles to draw parallels between any film and The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola’s epic masterpiece is considered the pinnacle achievement of crime movies, as it amounts to far more than its genre might ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Dallas Morning News (Chris Vognar)Dallas Morning News (Chris Vognar)
The film's genius performance belongs to the venerable Armin Mueller-Stahl, who plays the family head with a twinkling eye and an air of avuncular, Old World charm. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Dallas Morning News (Chris Vognar)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
It's only September but already we've had a full year's worth of bad films, from the adolescent fantasies of "Knocked Up" and "Superbad," to the bloated excesses of "Spiderman 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean 3." But now we have what I hope will be just ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for About.com (Rebecca Murray)About.com (Rebecca Murray)
Mortensen and Watts shine and their terrific performances elevate Eastern Promises into a compelling drama worth checking out. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at About.com (Rebecca Murray)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for About.com Hollywood Movies (Rebecca Murray)About.com Hollywood Movies (Rebecca Murray)
The second collaborative effort of filmmaker David Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen doesn’t quite live up to their first outing. While both this film and their first dramatic venture, A History of Violence, share a lot in common including the same ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at About.com Hollywood Movies (Rebecca Murray)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.64 out of 4 stars for Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
Cronenberg is in the first rank of directors; no one should be surprised that Eastern Promises is a thoroughly enjoyable movie that, unlike most of the films it references, gets better the more you think about it. It's one of the year's best. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for
I deplore graphic violence in movies. I think it desensitizes viewers and is somewhat responsible for some of the terrible crime in our society. When a horrific act is seen on the big screen, it can make actually performing the act less loathsome to ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for KPBS.org (Beth Accomando)KPBS.org (Beth Accomando)
Eastern Promises reveals yet again what a master craftsman and artist Cronenberg is. His film is elegant in its ability to disturb. It serves up a twisted morality tale that flashes a fleeting and unexpected tenderness. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at KPBS.org (Beth Accomando)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for MTV (Kurt Loder)MTV (Kurt Loder)
Cronenberg's film has a distinctive somber sheen and startling jolts of perversity, and it could only be the work of one man, a director who demonstrates here, yet again, why he's one of the best. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at MTV (Kurt Loder)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Detroit News (Tom Long)Detroit News (Tom Long)
...manages to blend the clashing of cultures, family resentment, ugly heritage and the unlikely promise of new life without going in circles. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Detroit News (Tom Long)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for The Spinning Image (Steve Langton)The Spinning Image (Steve Langton)
David Cronenberg's latest film enters the twilight world of Russian organised crime in London's East End. Nurse Anna (Naomi Watts) finds a diary amongst the personal belongings of a Russian teenage girl who has just died after giving birth. Anna ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Spinning Image (Steve Langton)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Lessons of Darkness (Nick Schager)Lessons of Darkness (Nick Schager)
Its subtextual currents are more compelling than the actual narrative itself, which never wholly coheres into something satisfyingly suspenseful. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Lessons of Darkness (Nick Schager)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Hollywood Reporter (Sura Wood)Hollywood Reporter (Sura Wood)
Cronenberg's latest is as engrossing as it is creepy. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Hollywood Reporter (Sura Wood)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Viggo Mortensen chews it up and spits it out as the corrupt centerpiece of maverick director David Cronenberg's searing mob ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Box Office ProphetsBox Office Prophets
Eastern Promises is about a midwife at a London hospital trying to rescue a newborn baby from foster care. The baby's mother was a 14-year-old Russian girl who died during childbirth and whose only form of identification is her ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Box Office Prophets
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Cronenberg merges his intriguing worldview with writer Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) to create a haunting, unsettling thriller. It features strikingly good performances, as well as a realistic vision of London's darker, wetter corners. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
A young, female foreigner (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse) walks into a London pharmacy, noticeably in pain and crying out for help. Seconds later, she falls to the floor, blood flowing from her body to her feet. The girl is rushed to the hospital, where she dies ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for d+kaz. Intelligent Movie Reviews (Daniel Kasman)d+kaz. Intelligent Movie Reviews (Daniel Kasman)
How is it that these last two movies of David Cronenberg—A History of Violence and now Eastern Promises—remind me of classical Hollywood movies? Cronenberg is no born-again Hawks, or even a Hawks-for-a-new-age (that description might better go to Mich ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at d+kaz. Intelligent Movie Reviews (Daniel Kasman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt)St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt)
As someone once said (it was either the Rev. Martin Luther King or Depeche Mode): "People are people, so why should it be that you and I should get along so ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Hollywood.com (Brian Marder)Hollywood.com (Brian Marder)
Just as the Russian Mafia tells stories through tattoos, it could be said that Eastern Promises is told through bloodshed. The splatter begins almost immediately, in the tone-setting opening shot, but it’s the ensuing scene that properly introduces the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Hollywood.com (Brian Marder)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
If you can stomach Cronenberg's bloody style, then you'll probably like this kind of movie a lot more than I do. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for San Jose Mercury News (Bruce Newman)San Jose Mercury News (Bruce Newman)
In the great noir thriller "Chinatown," the allure - and implied threat - of that neon forbidden city is its unknowable exoticism: all the mysteries of the East, confined to a place so outside the hero's understanding that his only recourse when he gets ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at San Jose Mercury News (Bruce Newman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)
I cannot easily recommend these delights to everyone, but my high regard for Mr. Cronenberg’s stylistic virtues remains largely undiminished. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for MovieWeb (Dodd Alley)MovieWeb (Dodd Alley)
David Cronenberg is a filmmaker that has changed his palette throughout his career. There is certainly a distinction between the slimy, bodily horror of his 1983 classic Videodrome, and the 2005 rural-set gangster thriller A History of Violence. The ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at MovieWeb (Dodd Alley)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
How like David Cronenberg -- the master of body horror as a path to the soul -- to begin his mesmerizing power-punch of a thriller with a hemorrhage. The bloody fetus that we watch a fourteen-year-old Russian girl’s uterus struggle to expel is a child o ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
There are gangster stories and then there are David Cronenberg’s gangster stories. Cronenberg, known for imaginative psychological pics like “The Fly” and “Dead Zone,” and for his most audience-accessible work, the revenge tale “A History of ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)
"You belong with nice people. Stay away from people like ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for New York Magazine (David Edelstein)New York Magazine (David Edelstein)
Fresh from their startling (if overpraised) and unbelievably brutal crime melodrama A History of Violence, David Cronenberg has reteamed with Viggo Mortensen for the startling and unbelievably brutal crime melodrama Eastern Promises. Mortensen again ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at New York Magazine (David Edelstein)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Movies about gangsters: You expect a lot of noise. Shouting and screaming. Barrages of gunfire. Not here. Here we have somber reflection, the lurking gray peril of an urban underbelly, shifting shifty glances and unspoken threats. Eastern Promises is ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)
Despite the warnings of her mother and uncle, London midwife Anna (Naomi Watts, slightly underused) digs into a powerful Eastern European organized crime operation. Her goal: to find someone to claim an orphaned baby, whose prostitute mother, Anna ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
There have been a number of great films about the Italian—or Sicilian—Mafia, most notably the first two “Godfather” pictures, but until now the Russian mob hasn’t gotten its cinematic due. David Cronenberg changes that with “Eastern Promises,â ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Viggo Mortensen turns 50 next year, and he's one of those movie actors whom you want to see age. There's a menace that lurks beneath Mortensen's cool, taut exterior and it never comes as any surprise when it spills over and scalds anyone unfortunate ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Boston GlobeBoston Globe
In "Eastern Promises," David Cronenberg's hellacious new Russian mob movie, Viggo Mortensen finally comes of age as an actor and a movie star. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Boston Globe
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for New York Post (Lou Lumenick)New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
VIGGO Mortensen, playing a mysterious driver for a Russian mob boss in London, has an eye-popping nude fight sequence in "Eastern Promises," David ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
“Sometimes birth and death go together.” Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) is making a point about her own job as a midwife in North London, but she’s also summing up the painful, irreducible cycle exposed in Eastern Promises. Anna’s ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)
A thriller can lead us into the fascinating intricacy of a criminal subculture, and Eastern Promises does that with the globalized Russian Mob. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)
"Eastern Promises" will take your breath away, churn your stomach, and then leave you with memories of unforgettable characters as well as perplexing thoughts about good and evil. David Cronenberg's movie about Russian and Chechen mobsters clashing in ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for The Seattle Times (Moira Macdonald)The Seattle Times (Moira Macdonald)
Russian-born Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) is so icy he puts his cigarette out on his tongue; you can almost hear, in its faint sizzle, a tiny death. In David Cronenberg's chilly, masterful thriller "Eastern Promises," Nikolai is the driver for an Eastern ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Seattle Times (Moira Macdonald)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for The Movie Insider (Eight Legged Freaks)The Movie Insider (Eight Legged Freaks)
Eastern Promises gives us a glimpse into Russian organized crime in London and what happens when an innocent person gets wrapped up in its seedy existence. Amazing visuals and beautiful acting make Eastern Promises worth seeing. Anna Khitrova (Naomi ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Movie Insider (Eight Legged Freaks)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Blackfilm.comBlackfilm.com
No one can execute violence on the big screen like David Cronenberg. We’re not talking about the usual bang-em-up, shoot-em-up scenes we’ve seen countless times where they become boring as body count adds up. If you happen to see his last film, “A ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Blackfilm.com
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Soundtrack.netSoundtrack.net
Nicola Benedetti's solo violin immediately presents Howard Shore's main theme to Eastern Promises, the latest film he has scored for long-time collaborator, director David Cronenberg. True to the setting of the film's story, the theme has an Eastern ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Soundtrack.net
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Orlando Weekly (Cole Haddon)Orlando Weekly (Cole Haddon)
Eastern Promises proves two things: First, director David Cronenberg knows how to end a movie better than just about anybody else in the business and, second, Viggo Mortensen is the greatest American actor that nobody in America cares about. Like their ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Orlando Weekly (Cole Haddon)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
David Cronenberg’s suspenseful new film “Eastern Promises,” a resounding hit at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival and winner of the Festival’s coveted People’s Choice Award, is now available to the public in general release and is lik ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for
When an unidentified 14-year-old drug addict dies giving birth, her midwife Anna (played by Naomi Watts) is left holding the baby. Anna needs to identify the dead girl and to find the baby's family. But she has only what was in the dead ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Eye for Film (Anton Bitel)Eye for Film (Anton Bitel)
Any movie that can elegantly and believably squeeze a birth and two deaths into the first five minutes has my attention; when it’s directed by David Cronenberg and shot with the unflinching muscularity of a top-of-his-game Scorsese, I’m hooked. Add a ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Eye for Film (Anton Bitel)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Horror.Com (Staci Layne Wilson)Horror.Com (Staci Layne Wilson)
David Cronenberg, the so-called 'King of Venereal Horror', has managed to subversively reinvent himself once again -- albeit in the form of Martin Scorsese, but I'm not complaining. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Horror.Com (Staci Layne Wilson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)
Eastern Promises, the latest film from David Cronenberg, is both an impeccably constructed thriller and a drama about the preservation of innocence in a fallen world. Similarities to Cronenberg triumph from last year, A History of Violence (both star ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Christian Spotlight on the MoviesChristian Spotlight on the Movies
Movies like “Eastern Promises” occupy something of a moral quagmire. We live on planet Earth, a world which—according to St. Augustine—is ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Christian Spotlight on the Movies
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Geoff Berkshire)Chicago Tribune (Geoff Berkshire)
The death of a teenage prostitute causes a British midwife (Naomi Watts) to search for answers within London's Russian mob, leading to a chain reaction of violence and betrayal involving the boss (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his son (Vincent Cassel) and the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Chicago Tribune (Geoff Berkshire)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for IGN Movies (Stax)IGN Movies (Stax)
Director David Cronenberg and his A History of Violence leading man Viggo Mortensen reteam for the crime drama Eastern Promises, which may strike some as the thinking man's Shoot 'Em Up. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at IGN Movies (Stax)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for The Sydney Morning Herald The Sydney Morning Herald
Eastern Promises begins with a graphic scene of someone having his throat cut - a revelation which will hardly surprise fans of the film's director, David Cronenberg. It's a long time since Cronenberg left horror movies behind for more expansive terrain ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Sydney Morning Herald
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Village Voice (J. Hoberman)Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
I've said it before and hope to again: David Cronenberg is the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for hoopla.nuhoopla.nu
It seems appropriate that Viggo Mortensen - one of this generation's greatest exponents of the technique of method acting - should play a Russian in Eastern Promises, given the technique's origins as Stanislavski's 'system' in the early part of the 20th ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at hoopla.nu
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Not Coming to a Theater Near You (Chiranjit Goswami)Not Coming to a Theater Near You (Chiranjit Goswami)
“Body. Singular.” These words reverberate with candor even while delivered curtly by our maternal heroine, Anna, as she corrects the grammar of her antiquated Russian grandfather. Deftly played by Naomi Watts, Anna serves as the viewer’s primary ves ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Not Coming to a Theater Near You (Chiranjit Goswami)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
A man sits in a London barber's chair in the first scene of "Eastern Promises," and because David Cronenberg directed the movie, the only question is exactly how he'll end up in a pool of blood. Cronenberg gives the audience just enough time to guess - ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at San Francisco Chronicle
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Time Out (--)Time Out (--)
David Cronenberg re-teams with his ‘History of Violence’ star Viggo Mortensen for this London-set tale of the Russian Mafia, revolving around the sex trade. Extensive location shooting has included Hackney’s Broadway ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Time Out (--)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for The Arizona Republic The Arizona Republic
From his early days as a horror auteur, David Cronenberg has been fascinated by what ravages can be inflicted upon the human body by vehicles, chemicals, infections, telekinesis and insect DNA. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Arizona Republic
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Daily Mirror [UK] (--)Daily Mirror [UK] (--)
A movie to make you avoid tattooed men in shades for the rest of your life, David Cronenberg’s latest effort is a gruesome and totally gripping affair, even if you may spend large chunks of it looking away from the screen. Featuring fingers being ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Daily Mirror [UK] (--)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ShowBIZ DataShowBIZ Data
The film is drawing high praise from critics. In the Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert commented that with Promises Cronenberg has emerged into "the top rank of directors." Acceding to Cronenberg's request to critics not to give away the plot, Ebert ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ShowBIZ Data
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
It's Cronenberg's film, but it's the actors who elevate Eastern Promises from mere thriller to some other, more disturbing plane... ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
No one does corruption like David Cronenberg. Whether it's the venereal metaphors of his early work (Shivers, Rabid) or the through-the-looking-glass, AIDS-esque horrors of The Fly or even the subtler moral conflagrations of 2005's A History of Violence, ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for PopMatters (Bill Gibron)PopMatters (Bill Gibron)
Cronenberg isn't out to explore that particular narrative thread. Indeed, many of the standard crime story motifs that have come to define the cinematic category are completely ignored by this wonderful film... ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at PopMatters (Bill Gibron)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Movies for GuysMovies for Guys
David Cronenberg used to make horror films that were ickier than other people's horror ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Movies for Guys
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Just Press PlayJust Press Play
In Britain, perhaps nobody else garner viler whispers than Eastern European gangsters, especially with their reputation as human traffickers. Eastern Promises depicts this seedy underground of immigrants as scripted by Steve Knight, writer of another ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Just Press Play
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)
We're in London and the streets look like they are owned and operated by Beelzebub himself. The ghosts of the KGB death squads loom in the distance, but the Russian crime syndicate's stranglehold over the hoods and alleys is as strong as ever. Out of one ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Sky Movies (Tim Evans)Sky Movies (Tim Evans)
The immigrant experience takes on a blacker-than-black hue in director David Cronenberg's masterful tale of Russian mafiosa in London. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Sky Movies (Tim Evans)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Jay Seaver)eFilmCritic.com (Jay Seaver)
Where Violence was firmly centered on Mortensen's character, Promises is more an ensemble piece. The first major player we meet is Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife who recovers a diary from a woman who died during childbirth. It's in Russian, and when her ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Jay Seaver)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Set in London, Eastern Promises stars Naomi Watts as Anna Khitrova, a midwife with a Russian family background but no knowledge of the language. When she delivers the baby of a pregnant 14-year-old, she's compelled to investigate after the mother dies in ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)
A mysterious crime family with smoldering secrets plays with sharp objects off the slimy backwaters of the Thames. Cronenberg and Mortensen are at it again, with relish! ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
David Cronenberg is back with another great film, even if it is a bit of a step in a different direction. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Future Movies (Coco Forsythe)Future Movies (Coco Forsythe)
A late-night chemist is a pool of light in a shabby high street in a part of London unknown to Richard Curtis; a junkie stumbles in, clutching her pregnant belly and asking for help. The chemist brusquely tells her that he cannot give her methodone ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Future Movies (Coco Forsythe)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Total Film (Neil Smith)Total Film (Neil Smith)
Like the Borscht served on Semyon’s Trans-Siberian menu, Promises is filling, flavoursome and full of dead meat. Thanks to its compelling story and a powerful performance by Mortensen, it’s also as hard to shake off as one of Nikolai’s tattoos. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Total Film (Neil Smith)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for thelondonpaper (Stuart McGurk)thelondonpaper (Stuart McGurk)
An orgy of slit throats, lopped digits and a naked fight scene that will tattoo itself on to your brain. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at thelondonpaper (Stuart McGurk)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Empire Movies (Brendan Cullin)Empire Movies (Brendan Cullin)
Eastern Promises is director David Cronenberg's most recent piece of work and undoubtedly one of his finest. Naomi Watts stars as Anna, a London nurse who stumbles across a diary that contains some damning evidence against some Russian mobsters. Her ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Empire Movies (Brendan Cullin)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for BBC (David Jones)BBC (David Jones)
An instant cult classic. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at BBC (David Jones)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie VoiceFilm Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
With America's well-documented love for movie violence, it's a bit surprising there haven’t there been more films about the Russian Mafia. I mean, the traditional mob has a rich cinematic tradition; everything from “The Godfather” to...”The Black ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Sun Online (--)Sun Online (--)
The David Cronenberg-directed movie — which caused outrage this week after being passed uncut by the censors — does not leave anything to the imagination when it comes to death. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Sun Online (--)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)
An unforgettable bathhouse brawl immediately takes a place among Cronenberg's best and most outrageous sequences (and with this director, that's really saying something). ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ReelzChannel (Thomas Leupp)ReelzChannel (Thomas Leupp)
Two years ago David Cronenberg's A History of Violence, the first collaboration between the cult director and actor Viggo Mortensen, went largely unnoticed by the Academy and mainstream audiences alike, despite near-universal praise from critics. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ReelzChannel (Thomas Leupp)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Jam! Movies (Bruce Kirkland)Jam! Movies (Bruce Kirkland)
Like A History of Violence , David Cronenberg's brilliant new film goes far beyond its thriller genre. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Jam! Movies (Bruce Kirkland)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for AfterElton.com (Brian Juergens)AfterElton.com (Brian Juergens)
Brutal, but not cruel. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at AfterElton.com (Brian Juergens)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
One Christmas morning in London, Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife, delivers a baby girl while its mother hemorrhages to death. Inside the departed's handbag is a diary, scribbled in Russian, and a business card for a restaurant called the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
Here, Cronenberg takes his keen nose for violence to London, where the Russian mob is running amok – slit throats, drugged prostitutes, heroin imported from Kabul, diaries with dirty secrets, not to mention the taciturn Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), a man ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Globe and Mail
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Sacramento Bee (Carla Meyer)Sacramento Bee (Carla Meyer)
Even though Eastern Promises inhabits a creepy world, Cronenberg fans still might be reluctant to leave it. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Sacramento Bee (Carla Meyer)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Antonio Express-News (Larry Ratliff)San Antonio Express-News (Larry Ratliff)
A note to Oscar: You haven't noticed yet, but there's this guy up in Canada named Cronenberg. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at San Antonio Express-News (Larry Ratliff)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)
Exploring an array of themes ranging from love and betrayal to morality and mortality, Eastern Promises is a mesmerizing thriller designed for folks with a penchant for lingering depictions of utter depravity. Sheer brutality as cinematic beauty. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Film Experience (Nathaniel Rogers)Film Experience (Nathaniel Rogers)
If ...Violence was Cronenberg's gift to Viggo Mortensen, unlocking the greatness of the rising star, consider this the actor's return favor. He's mesmerizing. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film Experience (Nathaniel Rogers)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)
extremely violent and richly atmospheric... culminates in an electrifying scene that's destined to be discussed by movie fans for years. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)
it is the violence that stands out (in a good way). ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Scene-Stealers.com (Eric Melin)Scene-Stealers.com (Eric Melin)
It is not the histrionics that keep us hooked. What lingers long after the movie has ended are the characters. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Scene-Stealers.com (Eric Melin)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Coming on the heels of 2005's A History of Violence, Eastern Promises certainly feels like an apt follow-up for director David Cronenberg - as the film possesses a number of similarities to its forebearer, including an ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
A pregnant young woman enters a London pharmacy and, in heavily accented English, pleads for help before hemorrhaging and passing out. She is rushed to the hospital; too late to save her, but midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) delivers the baby, alive. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Twitch (Michael Guillen)Twitch (Michael Guillen)
Last year I attended the Toronto International Film Festival as a civilian. This year the lines of my hexagram have shifted from “Difficulty at the Beginning” to “Perseverance.” Attending pre-festival screenings offered by local Bay Area publicist ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Twitch (Michael Guillen)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Film Journal International (Doris Toumarkine)Film Journal International (Doris Toumarkine)
With stylish oddities like The Fly, Dead Ringers and A History of Violence, among others, behind him, David Cronenberg re-teams here with History co-star Viggo Mortensen and collars Dirty Pretty Things screenwriter Steve Knight for a highly entertaining ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film Journal International (Doris Toumarkine)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Brad Laidman: Elvis Needs BoatsBrad Laidman: Elvis Needs Boats
Let me admit up front that coming after David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen’s masterwork, A History of Violence, maybe my expectations were a bit too high, but I have to say that Eastern Promises left me a little antsy and bored. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Brad Laidman: Elvis Needs Boats
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Ruthless Reviews Ruthless Reviews
Is there anything on earth more repugnant than a Russian? Between Stalin, Hitler, and a bucket full of czars, at least 100 million were slaughtered and sent back to the stinking soil from whence they came, but still they wouldn’t go the way of the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Ruthless Reviews
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Flak Magazine (James Norton)Flak Magazine (James Norton)
For millions of Americans, Eastern Promises is more than just a movie; it's a unique opportunity to gaze upon Viggo Mortenson's junk flying around a London bathhouse. But to concentrate upon the film's signature naked fight scene — a taut triumph of ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Flak Magazine (James Norton)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)
For all his three-dimensional humanism, it's clear Cronenberg likes his men to get their hands dirty and enjoys watching small-boned women dish out sass. In short, everyone in a Cronenberg film has to have the same kind of balls he does or they won't make ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
A knife slices through a man's throat, a child issues from a mother's womb and the blood mingles, the blood of birth and death. From these early frames, and most everything that follows, it ain't hard to guess we're in classic David Cronenberg territory. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Globe and Mail
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
David Cronenberg tells a story of the Russian mob in London as only he can--indeed, with ample doses of brutal, bloody, extreme violence. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Leader Newspapers, New Jersey (Kam Williams)Leader Newspapers, New Jersey (Kam Williams)
Exploring an array of themes ranging from love and betrayal to morality and mortality, Eastern Promises is a mesmerizing thriller designed for folks with a penchant for lingering depictions of utter depravity. Sheer brutality as cinematic beauty. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Leader Newspapers, New Jersey (Kam Williams)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Capital Times (Madison, WI) (Rob Thomas)Capital Times (Madison, WI) (Rob Thomas)
"Promises" is a solid, involving crime thriller elevated by some quintessentially Cronenbergian touches, but it's not a truly disturbing Cronenberg experience like "A History of Violence" or "Spider." ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Capital Times (Madison, WI) (Rob Thomas)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Eastern Promises is a straighter version of Inland Empire, which is not to say that it isn't totally queer. David Cronenberg's new film is the story of a woman in trouble: Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a London midwife who becomes obsessed with finding ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Slant Magazine
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Charlotte Weekly (Sean O'Connell)Charlotte Weekly (Sean O'Connell)
A gritty, shocking and darkly entertaining crime thriller that coats its action with a layer of barrel-bottom sleaze. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Charlotte Weekly (Sean O'Connell)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Viggo Mortensen turns 50 next year, and he's one of those movie actors whom you want to see age. There's a menace that lurks beneath the surface of Mortensen's cool, taut exterior and it never comes as any surprise when it spills over and scalds ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Raging Bull Movie Reviews (Mike Lorefice)Raging Bull Movie Reviews (Mike Lorefice)
Inner turmoil may have a physical manifestation depending upon the genre David Cronenberg chooses to work in, but the director consistently mines the depths of the very complicated and contradictory beings known as humans. Cronenberg’s films of the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Raging Bull Movie Reviews (Mike Lorefice)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Cinepinion (Henry Stewart)Cinepinion (Henry Stewart)
The story is a bit unfocused, offering the viewer no way in and nothing to hold on to... Eastern Promises leaves you out in the rain from frame one. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Cinepinion (Henry Stewart)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Mortensen, lean and muscular and moving like a prowling tiger, gives a subtle portrayal of a man struggling with his conscience. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Onion A.V. ClubThe Onion A.V. Club
Forced to clean up someone else's sloppy hit job—in the first of several beyond-disturbing moments of London gangland violence in David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises—Viggo Mortensen's slickly coiffed gangster goes about the job with cool, professional ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Onion A.V. Club
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Viggo Mortensen chews it up and spits it out as the corrupt centerpiece of maverick director David Cronenberg's searing mob thriller. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Richmond Times-DispatchRichmond Times-Dispatch
"Eastern Promises" has an odd double effect on viewers. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Richmond Times-Dispatch
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)The Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
At one point in Eastern Promises, the soft-spoken Russian mobster Nikolai turns to his guest and says ''Now I'm going to do his teeth and cut off his fingers. You might want to leave the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Slate (Dana Stevens)Slate (Dana Stevens)
David Cronenberg's elegant treatise on the metaphysics of violence, begins with twin jets of blood: A man in a barber's chair has his throat cut by a mentally deficient would-be gangster, while elsewhere in London, a teenager in labor begs for help in a ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Slate (Dana Stevens)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
...doesn't have the mythical pull of A History of Violence , yet Cronenberg is too accomplished and clever of a filmmaker to let this gangster tale seem rote. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)
While Eastern Promises works overall on more of a low, insinuating simmer, it's one of Cronenberg's most satisfying pictures. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for cinemattraction (Martin Tsai)cinemattraction (Martin Tsai)
The biggest surprise in Eastern Promises isn’t grotesque graphic violence, a peek at Viggo Mortensen’s naughty bits, or a cleaver plot twist. For David Cronenberg fans, it would be the fact that the auteur’s latest is so reminiscent of his last outi ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at cinemattraction (Martin Tsai)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
David Cronenberg's latest is, like A History of Violence, about a character played by Viggo Mortensen who is capable of kicking all manner of ass, yet chooses not to until his back is squarely up against the wall. This time, Mortensen is Nikolai, the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
An arresting marvel of storytelling and substance, this pitch black parable of history, tradition, family and vengeance is a hard-core thriller ranking amongst this director's very best. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)
Eastern Promises has a feel to it that you would think director David Cronenberg is attempting to create his very own Godfather trilogy. Howard Shore's original score definitely adds to the mood and the emphasis on family is what gives this movie a ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for IndiewireIndiewire
Filmed in burnished yellows that alternate between the sickly pallor of death and the glossily seductive underworld of organized crime, David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" is all about surfaces. Those of his characters, their clothes and skin, as well ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Indiewire
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
It could have been epic, this tale of Russian mobsters prowling the London underworld. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for New York Daily NewsNew York Daily News
David Cronenberg, a director who rarely visits the same genre twice in a row, has done just that with "Eastern Promises," a riveting followup to his 2005 thriller "A History of ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at New York Daily News
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
As steeped in Russian flavors as a hot samovar, this fast, compelling story is also oddly Dickensian in its shadowy corners and twists. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for USA Today (Claudia Puig)USA Today (Claudia Puig)
Though brutal mayhem in a steam bath involving a nude Viggo Mortensen is what has people talking, Eastern Promises has a compelling story and strong performances to ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at USA Today (Claudia Puig)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
An icily seductive parable about family, power, unconventional justice and the perils of answered prayers. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)
David Cronenberg has always had something to say about the grotesque transformations that result when science and technology transgress the flesh, and the ensuing social breakdown. But there was a time when he spoke about it in the language of ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
We've seen plenty of Irish and Italian gangsters in the movies, but comparatively few Russians. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, criminal organizations centered on ex-Soviet immigrants have grown to frightening proportions, yet few motion pictures have ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Eastern Promises is a straightforward, straight-up Russian gangster movie whose primary achievement is making the Russian gangster underworld feel exotic and menacing. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Desson Thomson)Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Eastern Promises , a chilly character thriller set in the Russian underworld of London, has elements of murder mystery and gangster melodrama. But in director David Cronenberg's hands, it's a search for moral bearing in a dark and desperate world. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Eastern Promises ' unusually ambiguous character study makes for a different kind of crime drama, a striking if not entirely satisfying one. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)
...a powerful, well-done film that will not be to every taste. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)
While the film falls short of Cronenberg's best, it still boasts Mortensen's authoritative acting and extraordinary commitment to the material. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Mortensen’s work is so good that you’ll want to go back and see Eastern Promises a second time just to appreciate the way he plays us. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
As exactingly wrought as an anatomical diagram or one of Mortensen's symbolic tattoos, 'Eastern Promises' celebrates the wonder, power and fragility of the human body, from infancy to death. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Full of whispery menace, marked by probing studies of masculinity at its extreme boundaries, punctuated with bursts of sexual and violent excess, and coping with an abrupt ending. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
[Cronenberg's] most straightforward and accessible movie since The Fly. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Ebert & Roeper (Richard Roeper)Ebert & Roeper (Richard Roeper)
It’s a very, very strong film, [but] a little tough to watch sometimes. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Ebert & Roeper (Richard Roeper)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Screenwriter Steve Knight presents Eastern Promises as a sister piece to his script for Dirty Pretty Things -- both are about immigrants who made their way to London looking for opportunities, only to become trapped in the city's seedy underworld. In ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
Feels, except for a few choice moments, like the work of a slightly bored craftsman phoning it in. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for www.susangranger.com (Susan Granger)www.susangranger.com (Susan Granger)
"The naked bathhouse fight is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated scene in this brutal Cronenberg thriller - but there's more to it than that." ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at www.susangranger.com (Susan Granger)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
As Cronenberg's primary vehicle, Mortensen makes the show his own. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Christianity Today (Jeffrey Overstreet)Christianity Today (Jeffrey Overstreet)
In his severity, Cronenberg disrupts the audience's immersion in a story that might have become a landmark tale of corruption and conscience... ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Christianity Today (Jeffrey Overstreet)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Tiscali UKTiscali UK
David Cronenberg is on sombre and violent form in Eastern Promises, his second consecutive collaboration with Viggo Mortensen (after 2005's A History of Violence) and the first film of his penned by British screenwriter Steve Knight. Knight's first ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Tiscali UK
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Film School Rejects (H. Stewart)Film School Rejects (H. Stewart)
Eastern Promises opens in the rain—oh, David Cronenberg’s in London again. This time, though, instead of dealing with the mentally ill and the ghosts that haunt them, as he did in Spider, he takes on the Russians, both assimilated, in the form of ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Film School Rejects (H. Stewart)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)
David Cronenberg's use of violence in his movies has often been, to put it politely, questionable. Most of his earliest films - from The Brood to Dead Ringers - display a barely disguised sadism. In Crash, he took a deliberately non-judgmental, yet ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for E! Online (Alex Markerson)E! Online (Alex Markerson)
As bloody good as parts of Eastern Promises are, as a whole it's a bloody mess. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at E! Online (Alex Markerson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Cinematical (Ryan Stewart)Cinematical (Ryan Stewart)
Another gory mafia story from David Cronenberg, this time set not in America's heartland but in the Russian immigrant community of London. Eastern Promises stars Viggo Mortensen as a limo driver and hired muscle for the mob whose life gets very ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Cinematical (Ryan Stewart)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for CinemaZone.dkCinemaZone.dk
Ikke siden eXistenZ i 1999 har David Cronenberg selv stået for manuskriptet til en spillefilm, og det er faktisk bemærkelsesværdigt for instruktøren, der efter mange år som auteur for en meget dedikeret, men overskuelig fanskare, siden årtusindeskif ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at CinemaZone.dk
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for World Socialist Web SiteWorld Socialist Web Site
Eastern Promises is the follow-up to veteran Canadian director David Cronenberg’s A History Of Violence. Both are films working in and around the gangster movie genre, unusual for a director best known for his horror and science fiction films, and both ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at World Socialist Web Site
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.68 out of 4 stars for Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises plays like a companion piece to his overrated A History of Violence. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
... Eastern Promises is intensely anti-dramatic. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Financial Times (Karl French)Financial Times (Karl French)
David Cronenberg is one of the great indie auteurs of late-20th-century North American cinema, his work dredged from some of the creepier recesses of his subconscious. He has always been highly prolific, and now the flawed but fascinating and chilling ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Financial Times (Karl French)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Daily Telegraph (Sukhdev Sandhu)Daily Telegraph (Sukhdev Sandhu)
What a treasure trove for filmmakers is contemporary London. There is a Mayor eager to welcome outsiders who might shine a pre-Olympics spotlight on the city he has sought to modernise and re-brand, tax breaks to be had, and even companies that will help ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Daily Telegraph (Sukhdev Sandhu)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for The Movie Boy (Dustin Putman)The Movie Boy (Dustin Putman)
"Eastern Promises" is director David Cronenberg's second bid in a row for attaining mainstream success, and is most certainly a better film in almost every way than 2005's shallow, criminally overrated "A History of Violence." Of course, coming from a ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Movie Boy (Dustin Putman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for
When an unidentified 14-year-old drug addict dies giving birth, her midwife Anna (played by Naomi Watts) is left holding the baby. Anna needs to identify the dead girl and to find the baby's family. But she has only what was in the dead girl's pockets ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Beyond HollywoodBeyond Hollywood
Given that “Eastern Promises” is a David Cronenberg film, one shouldn’t be entirely surprised that it opens with a vicious throat slashing and a fourteen year old girl hemorrhaging in a drug store. The girl in question dies soon after while giving b ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Beyond Hollywood
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionAtlanta Journal-Constitution
"An intricate tale of London's Russian emigre underworld, with brief, brutal moments of extreme violence." ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for The Phantom TollboothThe Phantom Tollbooth
Under the top layer of civility, white tablecloths and rose petals on cakes lies a cross-current of violence, revenge and hatred. David Cronenberg and Steve Knight have gotten it right. You never know what is going on behind the kitchen door in Eastern ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Phantom Tollbooth
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for The Milwaukee Journal-SentinelThe Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
That David Cronenberg's last film "A History of Violence" and his latest film "Eastern Promises" star a newly and surprisingly versatile Viggo Mortensen is only the most obvious parallel between them. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Movie City News (David Poland)Movie City News (David Poland)
As I watched Eastern Promises, I first heard the authorage of Steve Knight (formerly credited as Steven Knight). My experience with his voice as a screenwriter comes from Dirty Pretty Things, an excellent and underrated film from 2002. And like Eastern ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Movie City News (David Poland)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Reel.comReel.com
Deservedly praised for their work on the masterfully spare A History of Violence (2005), David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen reunite to frustratingly lesser effect with Eastern Promises, a dramatically shortchanged thriller written by Steve Knight (the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Reel.com
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Empire Magazine [UK]Empire Magazine [UK]
The first time Viggo Mortensen’s mysterious Mafia fixer Nikolai gets to dominate the screen in Eastern Promises, he is using a hair-drier to defrost a frozen corpse. He works calmly, expensive tie slung over his shoulder, cigarette dangling laconically ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Empire Magazine [UK]
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
While this isn't a terrible movie, compared to A History of Violence or any of Cronenberg's earlier films, it's a huge disappointment. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for FilmJudge (David Mercier)FilmJudge (David Mercier)
Anna Khitrova (Watts), a midwife working at a London hospital, tries to trace the lineage of a baby whose mother died in her hospital. Her investigations lead her to a pricey Russian restaurant, owned by the charming Semyon (Mueller-Stahl). But the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at FilmJudge (David Mercier)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Times [UK] (Wendy Ide)Times [UK] (Wendy Ide)
Accents are as thick as borscht, and vodka flows almost as freely as the blood. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Times [UK] (Wendy Ide)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
What Knight's script lacks...is made up for by Cronenberg and his cast... ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for The Movie ChicksThe Movie Chicks
Anna (Naomi Watts) works as a midwife in a London hospital. When an underage prostitute dies during childbirth, it affects Anna deeply. She’s looking for the parents of the girl to give them the baby, but the only clue she has to her identity is a diary ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The Movie Chicks
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for This is London (Derek Malcolm)This is London (Derek Malcolm)
Its subtext, which is about sex and violence and the way one often dovetails with the other, and the skill of its making, render it gripping enough. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at This is London (Derek Malcolm)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Maxim (Pete Hammond)Maxim (Pete Hammond)
In the end 'Eastern' promises - and delivers - an intelligent film full of it's own brand of sound and fury. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Maxim (Pete Hammond)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Eastern Promises is a superior genre exercise, a film that takes the broad parameters of the gangster film and reworks them into something that feels invigorating and new. The story is set in the dark world of expatriate Russian mobsters living in ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)
Eastern Promises is mostly predictable throughout the film, but that never diminishes the intrigue and drama of the story. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
It's just too bad Eastern Promises , on the whole, promises more than it delivers. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for commonsensemedia.org (S. Jhoanna Robledo)commonsensemedia.org (S. Jhoanna Robledo)
Compelling but brutal mafia film for adults only. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at commonsensemedia.org (S. Jhoanna Robledo)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Bullz-Eye.comBullz-Eye.com
The term "overrated" has become a word used far too commonly when discussing film these days, but director David Cronenberg’s follow-up to his 2005 masterpiece, “A History of Violence,” is exactly that. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The story told in “Eastern Promises” is a grim and violent one, set in London’s expatriate Russian underworld. The film, directed by David Cronenberg from a script by Steve Knight, revisits a number of themes and motifs that are staples of the genre ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at The New York Times
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
An ultimately satisfying venture with a few spot-on acting turns, but it is a tad too ordinary for a director who thrives when he is anything but. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Boxoffice Magazine (Kevin Courrier)Boxoffice Magazine (Kevin Courrier)
Whether bringing a horror film (The Fly), murder mystery (Spider), science fiction (The Dead Zone) or experimental fiction (Naked Lunch) to the screen, director David Cronenberg generally sets out to transcend genre in order to get at transgressive areas ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Kevin Courrier)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles CityBeat (Andy Klein)Los Angeles CityBeat (Andy Klein)
... has its moments of hideous violence and a few touches of Cronenberg's disgust with human flesh, but for the most part it's simply an OK gangster movie. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Los Angeles CityBeat (Andy Klein)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for culturevulture.net (Matthew Yeager)culturevulture.net (Matthew Yeager)
What do you get when you mix a talented Canadian auteur, a well-intentioned but middling British scribe and a cast made up of an American, a Frenchman, a German, and a Aussie, all playing characters of Russian descent? You might get Eastern Promises, a ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at culturevulture.net (Matthew Yeager)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
Eastern Promises is a mediocre crime thriller—nothing more, nothing less. That it's directed by David Cronenberg is disappointing. Sure, some have gone on praising his "new" foray into basic genre pictures and bringing to them his own strange ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli)ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Eastern Promises is the latest effort from acclaimed filmmaker David Cronenberg, whose recent work has elevated his status from that of a cult figure to someone in the mainstrem. Although the director has re-teamed with his The History of Violence star, ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Desson Thomson)Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
"Eastern Promises," a chilly character thriller set in the Russian underworld of London, has elements of murder mystery and gangster melodrama. But in director David Cronenberg's hands, it's a search for moral bearing in a dark and desperate ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)
'I am just a driver; I go left, right and straight ahead,' Viggo Mortensen's Nikolai states. It's a chilling portrayal of another darkly complex character for Mortensen, and while David Cronenberg's film lacks the completeness of A History of Violence, ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for MovieCrypt.com (Kevin A. Ranson)MovieCrypt.com (Kevin A. Ranson)
A predictable plot with trademark David Cronenberg highlights is salvaged by a great cast... but just barely. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at MovieCrypt.com (Kevin A. Ranson)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Atlantic City Weekly (Lori Hoffman)Atlantic City Weekly (Lori Hoffman)
...this movie slows down to a crawl to examine the grim reality of people who live without hope, controlled by monsters who pretend to be human. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Atlantic City Weekly (Lori Hoffman)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Mr. Cranky Rates the MoviesMr. Cranky Rates the Movies
After "A History of Violence", director David Cronenberg could do no wrong. Now, it's as if he's the second coming of Stanley Kubrick. Critics are lining up to drool all over themselves in praise of Cronenberg's "gifts". I wonder, is that a "special ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Mr. Cranky Rates the Movies
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.60 out of 4 stars for Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
Director David Cronenberg's latest work is disappointing on many levels. It is uber-violent to the point of being distracting to the main story line (however slim). The threat of violence is omnipresent. The streets of London seemed safer with Jack the ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.60 out of 4 stars for Guardian [UK] (Peter Bradshaw)Guardian [UK] (Peter Bradshaw)
There are interesting scenes, moments, ideas: but Eastern Promises does not have the sinew and boldness of Cronenberg's best work. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Guardian [UK] (Peter Bradshaw)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.50 out of 4 stars for New York Press (Armond White)New York Press (Armond White)
Eastern Promises is a pretty hollow viewing experience. It deals with the ugly life choices facing Eastern immigrants in the West (London) but seems more contrived than truthful. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at New York Press (Armond White)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.50 out of 4 stars for Cinema BlendCinema Blend
David Cronenberg’s career has been highlighted with thrillers, both brutally gruesome and thought provoking. When a director like that sets his sights on a crime drama, I expect something quite stunning – after all, crime dramas have created some of t ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Cinema Blend
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.50 out of 4 stars for New Yorker (Anthony Lane)New Yorker (Anthony Lane)
You walk out of Eastern Promises feeling spooked and sullied, as if waking from a noisome dream. “London is to blame,” one of the characters declares, but I don’t buy it. I blame David Cronenberg. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at New Yorker (Anthony Lane)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.00 out of 4 stars for Digital RetributionDigital Retribution
Let's get the synopsis – well, outline, really – out of the way so we can discuss the ideas that Eastern Promises essays; no spoilers here! After a suitably bloody and brutal beginning, we're introduced to Anna (Watts, in yet again another practically ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Digital Retribution
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.00 out of 4 stars for kids-in-mindkids-in-mind
Crime thriller taking place in modern London: A midwife (Naomi Watts) helps deliver a baby by a 14-year-old Russian girl who dies, and she soon discovers through the girl's diary that she was ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at kids-in-mind
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.00 out of 4 stars for Plugged InPlugged In
London, dark and wet. A young man—no more than a boy, really—runs through rain into a barbershop. The barber and his customer talk about the boy, toggling between English and Russian as the barber complains how the boy won't do a favor for him—one s ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Plugged In
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.00 out of 4 stars for Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)
Modern mysteries and classic spy stories combine both good and evil. What happens, though, when the hero of the story becomes evil in the pursuit of the good? Does this redeem the evil or does evil destroy everything and everyone? “Eastern Promises ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)
Eastern Promises (2007) scores a combined 1.00 out of 4 stars for Houston Chronicle (Bruce Westbrook)Houston Chronicle (Bruce Westbrook)
What it's really about, more than sensitivity for displaced people or social analyses, is violence -- hideous, gruesome, over-the-top violence. ...read the complete Eastern Promises movie review at Houston Chronicle (Bruce Westbrook)
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Users combined give Eastern Promises (2007) a score of 3.3882352941176 out of 4
based on (51) reviews
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4
Excellent
(23)
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3
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(20)
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2
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4.00
Vory v zakone (www.amazon.com)
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by Gisli Jokull Gisl... on September 30, 2009
Vory v zakone - Thieves in law. ...
4.00
Cronenberg and Mortensen's best (www.amazon.com)
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by G. YEO "gyeo" on August 29, 2009
David Cronenberg has always been an edgy, disturbing director - and many of his films are difficult to watch. Eastern Promises is probably his most accessible film. There's something old world about this - no fancy turns - just plain old fashioned ...
4.00
A Perfict movie (www.amazon.com)
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by M. Alkhulaifi "Mt... on June 12, 2009
Eastern ...
4.00
Two stars for a character, five stars for the movie (www.amazon.com)
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by Jason on June 10, 2009
Not for the squeamish, Eastern Promises paints a bleak picture of the grungy underworld of London, where Russian gangsters are involved in the most heinous acts, and even the most innocent eventually become pawns in the most dangerous game. ...
4.00
Made my Top Ten for the year! (www.amazon.com)
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by Alan Starr "www.a... on June 09, 2009
Another one of the best movies of the year, following up on the amazing 'History of Violence'. Viggo Mortensen has really turned into one of the great actors of this decade. And Naomi Watts looks as great ever, of course. ...
4.00
What an intense movie! (www.amazon.com)
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by Hi Times on May 12, 2009
What an intense movie. The best fight scene I've ever seen. Naked with knives spells hurt. Very painful to watch. Viggo Mortensen did a great job - a departure from his other movies. ...
4.00
"Forget any of this happened. Stay away from people like me." (www.amazon.com)
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by Eric S. Kim on April 19, 2009
It's now 2009, and you would think that we would learn from our mistakes when it comes to bad movies . . . uh-huh. These past years, we've been tortured by three family-friendly High School Musical films, poor comedies like The Love Guru, teenage garbage ...
4.00
Great movie..... (www.amazon.com)
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by Amit R. Marangant... on April 15, 2009
Much better than Cronenberg's previous movie "History of Violence"...Give it a try, you will not be disappointed. ...
4.00
The illustrated Man (www.amazon.com)
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by OverTheMoon on March 23, 2009
Tattoos can tell stories. This is a small film with big ideas and is remarkably well acted. The story concerns a young pregnant girl who dies but the baby survives. A hospital worker discovers a Russian diary on the dead girl and uncovers a sinister ...
4.00
proceed with caution (www.amazon.com)
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by stanley I. liebma... on February 09, 2009
The dvd I received had no sound. Since I am in Thailand the cost of postage to return this item is too much so I must eat this item. Next time I will go to a local store. ...
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Eastern Promises (2007) Reviews
Eastern Promises (2007)

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Lowest Price:

$3.89
Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
3.1537
Eastern Promises (2007) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
3.1285
Eastern Promises (2007) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
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