7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
The mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin is a driver for one of London's most notorious organized crime families of Eastern European origin. But Nikolai's carefully maintained existence is jarred once he crosses paths with Anna Khitrova, a midwife at a North London hospital. When a teenager dies while giving birth, Anna tries to trace the baby's lineage and relatives. Several lives hang in the balance as a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution reverberates through the darkest corners of both the crime family and London itself.
Starring: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent Cassel, Sinéad CusackDrama | 100% |
Crime | 76% |
Thriller | 30% |
Mystery | 20% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A tattoo can be many things—a reminder, a history, a physical representation of pain and permanence—and director David Cronenberg, celebrated auteur of visceral films like Shivers, The Fly, and Videodrome, knows full well that the mutability of our bodies is just as much a source of archetypal horror as things that go bump in the night. While in recent years he’s moved on to more psychological fare, Cronenberg’s latter-day works still demonstrate a keen fascination with corporal themes. 2005’s A History of Violence, for instance, shows, in unfettered detail, the brutal consequences a bullet at close range has on an assailant’s face. The squirm-inducing imagery, however, is a mere surface-level shock. The film’s real message is in its subtext, that violence is a soul-sucking, family-destroying maelstrom that is not easily escaped. Eastern Promises, Cronenberg’s thematic follow-up, plays with a similar duality. The skin of the film is inked with distressing physical brutality, while its meat and bones, its emotional core, is a cold examination of whether violence and lies are ever really justified.
I don't know what this means, but it terrifies me.
Like blood from a severed artery, Eastern Promises spills onto the screen with a vibrant and lifelike urgency, thanks to an excellent 1.85:1 1080p VC-1 transfer that clearly values its source image. Cronenberg's vision of London's seamy underbelly is bleak in narrative tone but thoroughly lush in bold, cinematic color. The interior of the Trans-Siberian restaurant is particularly vivid, with deep greens, rich crushed-velvet reds, and dark woods, all belonging to that warm, movie-land world where colors are somehow realer than real. As in most gangster films, leather jackets are a staple in Eastern Promises, and they serve as a good indication of the how deep the blacks can get in this film and still retain detail in the shadows. I was similarly wowed by the amount of sharpness on display, none of it showing any evidence of edge-enhancement. The thugs that populate the Russian mafia have had hard lives, and the sheer detail this transfer is capable of is well exemplified in the creases, folds, and furrowed brows that line each care-worn face. In fact, I was hard pressed to find any serious visual deficiencies. The biggest gripes I can muster would be the presence of some white specks on the print, and the smallest, slightest bit of banding in the bathhouse steam. Otherwise, in its confident colors and precision detail, this transfer definitely lives up to its high- definition name.
The audio portion of this AV package introduces itself with a crisp thunderclap and a broad pattering of omni-directional rainfall, announcing from the outset its intention to create and sustain a foreboding tone. While most of the action of the DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 track is piped from the front speakers, the rear channels do get several opportunities to build a convincing soundscape, especially during the hoopla of hooligans outside the soccer match. Voices are well-placed in the mix, and the many thuds, cracks, and crunches of physical violence are all rendered with nuance and heft. In addition, composer Howard Shore provides a tense and somewhat understated score that complements the unfolding drama while letting the inherent tension of each scene speak for itself. Though it lacks the whiz-bang wow factor of more action-heavy titles, the track is a competent and full-bodied accompaniment to the film's striking visual appeal.
Secrets and Stories (1080i, 10:32)
Director David Cronenber, writer Steve Knight (Dirty Pretty Things), and key cast
members give a brief but informative look into the world of the Russian mafia, discuss some of
the central themes of the film, and provide some colorful context regarding the extensive
research and preparation that preceded its filming. Cronenberg has always been drawn to
"enclosed, hermetically sealed cultures" and this one is no different. It's a pleasure listening to
him talk about his work and interests, particularly because he's so intelligent, concise, and sure of
his decisions. While this short but meaty feature stands on its own, it really makes me wish
Cronenberg had decided to supply a commentary track.
Marked for Life (1080i, 6:42)
Viggo Mortensen is known to thoroughly investigate his roles, and in Eastern Promises
his explorations actually changed the script in some drastic and crucial ways, namely the
inclusion of Russian prison tattoos and their complex symbology. Intercut with behind the scenes
footage displaying Viggo's progression of tats, this short featurette explains the role of tattooing in
the film and illuminates the otherwise esoteric meanings of the inked inscriptions that litter his
body.
Two Guys Walk Into A Bathhouse (1080i, 1:55)
Cronenberg and Mortensen share brief insights into the filming of the ultra-violent, hyper-realistic
bathhouse brawl.
Watts on Wheels (1080i, 0:55)
Naomi Watts learned how to ride a motorcycle for the film, and she can now add that to the list
of skills she can present to potential directors. Look at that, I just saved you fifty-five
seconds.
The package also includes the "My Scenes" feature, which allows you to bookmark your favorite
scenes and even create your own custom clips to view later.
Deftly directed and featuring some impressive, transformational performances by its key actors, Eastern Promises is quite an experience to behold. It somehow manages to be shocking without being gratuitous and take an almost philosophical view of violence without falling into a black and white morality scheme. With great sound, and an almost reference-level picture, this Blu- ray disc belongs in the collections of all but the most squeamish of viewers.
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