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on his body. He is then given a star tattoo over his heart to show his ascension through the ranks of the criminal underworld. Cronenberg sees this world as a way of life. Crime, greed, murder, and secrecy are simply the result of a carefully orchestrated culture built on values, familial loyalty, and honour. Perhaps most significantly, like The Godfather, Cronenberg shows that there is something to respect in that. As if the purest evil can have a heart.

It's unsurprising Cronenberg utilises the talents of Viggo Mortensen having seen the Lord Of The Rings actor provide a measured performance in the director's 2005 film A History Of Violence. There he portrayed a family man slowly coming to terms with the violent past he'd forgotten following amnesia. In Eastern Promises, Mortensen goes from unknowingly hiding a violent agenda to putting on a veil of straight-faced Russian charm, which under the surface, cloaks more than just the darker side of his profession. He's at once the unwanted attention seeker of Anna's affections while seemingly being the only person of this secretive world that wouldn't harm her.

Naomi Watts is perfectly cast opposite Mortensen. Her good intentions are the counterpoint to Nikolai's dirty deeds; indeed, her profession as midwife couldn't be further from Nikolai's undertaker. Watts instils in Anna a mothering devotion to finding the truth, her diminutive figure full of innocence and hope.

Anyone looking for the director's obvious trademarks won't have to look too hard. There's a brilliant sequence in a sauna when Nikolai is attacked by a rival gang's thugs: the fight shown in graphic detail with nothing hiding Nikolai's naked body. The man, again striped of his clothes, adds the bloody scars of battle to his already decorated skin - the knife wounds becoming another indication of his life story, permanently portrayed on his body.

Eastern Promises is another terrific addition to David Cronenberg's growing collection of films. He is still producing brilliant independent work that is now more accessible to mainstream audiences than ever before. Hopefully, Eastern Promises will be the introduction for many to his great body of work, while devoted fans will be able to rejoice in another job well done.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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