By Tim McGroaty

When it comes to films made by director David Cronenberg, there are certain expectations. Cronenberg always promises something dark and twisted, haunting and gruesome and seductive and disturbing. His latest film, “Eastern Promises”, certainly makes good on all these accounts and solidifies his more linear approach to making films that is no less disconcerting by taking a look at the Russian mafia.

The film opens with an unknown woman who dies in childbirth. The child lives, but with no parents or anyone else to care for her. The nurse who delivers the child, Anna (Naomi Watts) begins to care for the child and becomes fixated on finding out the deceased mother’s family and delivering the child to them. Anna takes the woman’s diary and begins translating it from Russian in an attempt to find her family. What she discovers instead is that the woman was a part of the Russian Mafia and the diary holds vital secrets which can bring down one of the mafia’s strongest head runners.

Anna mistakenly tells this to the wrong people and soon the Russian mafia is after her for the diary and the child. One member of the mafia, Nikolai (played brilliantly by Viggo Mortensen), unexpectedly finds his loyalties divided. Caught between his want to help Anna and his duty to save his bosses, he wonders who he can, or should trust, as family tightens its grip on him.

Nikolai as played by Mortensen is naturally imposing with an icy composure and unflinching personality and is frightening to say the least. However, there is something about him that inspires trust from those around him. Perhaps it is his reliability or one would rather be on his side. Anna is drawn to him and trusts there is good in him, even if she’s not sure what that is. Ultimately, Mortensen delivers a skillful, yet understated performance that quietly blows viewers away.

The film is not as heart pounding as the trailers make it out to be, and does not exploit the blood and gore that Cronenberg typically delivers in his action films. “Eastern Promises” is a drama at its heart with action only sprinkled on top and takes its time to build effective characters and plot. Despite some slow spots in the beginning, the story gains momentum as the film progresses and has some turns that help keep it interesting. There is one particularly excellent twist toward the end, but the film unfortunately doesn’t capitalize on it as much as it could have. Instead, it delivers an abrupt ending that leaves viewers slightly confused and with a feeling of dissatisfaction

“Eastern Promises” achieves greatness through its well-developed characters and sharp directing though it misses perfection by not giving more.

Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts take on difficult roles and even more difficult choices as they grapple with the Russian mafia in director David Croneberg’s “Eastern Promises.” (AllMoviePhotos.com)