Better than I expected: Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises (Widescreen Edition)

When this film came out I really wanted to see it in the theatre, but stayed away because I heard how violent it was.  So I rented it from Netflix and watched it last night (and fast forwarded through the few gruesomely violent scenes).  I really got into this film.  Viggo Mortenson is such a proficient actor; in his films he makes me forget he doesn't really have an accent.  He is gorgeously dangerous in this film, and his chemistry with Naomi Watts was palpable.

And it really is a romance, even though there isn't much physical affection between the characters.  Oh, I'm not doing the film justice.  All the acting is great; Armin Mueller-Stahl is creepy, and Naomi Watts is fully into her role as a midwife who naively gets involved with the Russian mafia.

I can't stand overly violent films, but there was less of it in this film than I expected.  From what I'd heard, I expected a bloodbath.  And yeah, the film is definitely not sunshine and rainbows, but it is quite watchable, and very memorable (in a good way).

The end felt slightly under-resolved, but the hope was there.