Eastern Promises
Eastern Promises is a 2007 BritishCanadianAmerican gangster film directed by David Cronenberg, from a screenplay written by Steven Knight. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, and Armin MuellerStahl, and tells a story of a RussianBritish midwifes interactions with the Russian Mafia in London. Principal photography began November 2006, in locations in and around London. The film has been noted for its plot twist, the subject of sex trafficking, and for its violence and realistic depiction of Russian career criminals, which includes detailed portrayal of the tattoos commonly worn by them.
Anna Ivanovna, a BritishRussian midwife at a London hospital, finds a Russianlanguage diary on the body of Tatiana, a 14yearold girl who dies in childbirth. She also finds a card for the TransSiberian Restaurant, which is owned by Semyon, an old vor in the Russian Mafia. Anna thus sets out to track down the girls family so that she can find a home for the baby girl, having meetings with Semyon, whom she initially regards as friendly. Annas mother Helen does not discourage her, but Annas Ukrainian uncle and selfdescribed former KGB officer, Stepan, whom Anna asks for help with the translation of the diary, urges caution. Through translation of the diary, Anna comes to learn that Semyon and his ignorant therefore unstable son Kirill had abused the girl, addicted her to heroin, forced her into prostitution, and raped her. Ultimately, Anna realizes that the baby was fathered by Semyon in several scenes it is made clear that Kirill is impotent and never had sex with Tatiana.Semyons driver is Nikolai Luzhin, who also serves as the family cleaner, dumping murdered bodies in the River Thames. Through Nikolai, Semyon, fearing prosecution, promises to give the location of the girls family to Anna if she hands back the diary. Nikolai takes the diary but does not give a location, instead urging Anna to keep the baby in London. Semyon distrusts Annas uncle Stepan and orders Nikolai to kill him. Nikolai accepts and soon Stepan goes missing. As Nikolais star rises within the vory, an impressed Semyon sponsors him as a full member, due in part to Nikolais protection of Semyons incompetent son, who authorized a hit on a rival Chechen vory leader with the help of a Kurdish associate, Azim. The hit was illadvised and not approved by Semyon. Two Chechen hitmen soon arrive in London seeking vengeance and kill Azims nephew who also took part in the hit. Semyon hatches a plan to trick Nikolai into temporarily taking Kirills place during a meeting at the baths with Azim. The Chechens atta
Source: Wikipedia
