Eastern Promises

The mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin (Mr. Mortensen) is a driver for one of London's most notorious organized crime families of Eastern European origin. The family itself is part of the Vory V Zakone criminal brotherhood. Headed by Semyon (Academy Award nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl), whose courtly charm as the welcoming proprietor of the plush Trans-Siberian restaurant impeccably masks a cold and brutal core, the family's fortunes are tested by Semyon's volatile son and enforcer Kirill (Vincent Cassel), who is more tightly bound to Nikolai than to his own father.

But Nikolai's carefully maintained existence is jarred once he crosses paths at Christmastime with Anna Khitrova (Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts), a midwife at a North London hospital. Anna is deeply affected by the desperate situation of a young teenager who dies while giving birth to a baby. Anna resolves to try to trace the baby's lineage and relatives. The girl's personal diary also survives her; it is written in Russian - and Anna seeks answers in it.

Anna's mother Helen (Sinéad Cusack) does not discourage her, but Anna's irascible Russian-born uncle Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski) urges caution. He is right to do so; by delving into the diary Anna has accidentally unleashed the full fury of the Vory.

With Semyon and Kirill closing ranks and Anna pressing her inquiries, Nikolai unexpectedly finds his loyalties divided. The family tightens its grip on him; who can, or should, he trust? Several lives, including his own, hang in the balance as a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution reverberates through the darkest corners of both the family and London itself.

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Release Dates:
@Theaters: September 14, 2007
@DVD/Video:
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Running Time: 100 min.
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer(s): Steven Knight
Producer(s): Stephen Garrett, David M. Thompson, Jeff Abberley
Distributor: Focus Features
Tagline: Every sin leaves a mark.
MPAA Rating: R - for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language and nudity

Movie Casts:

Viggo Mortensen - Nikolai Luzhin
Naomi Watts - Anna Khitrova
Vincent Cassel - Kirill
Armin Mueller-Stahl - Semyon
Sinéad Cusack - Helen
Donald Sumpter - Yuri
Josef Altin - Ekrem
Andrzej Borkowski - Russian Gypsy
Morne Botes - Bike Rider
Cristina Catalina - Ukrainian girl
Gergo Danka - Russian junior waiter
Olegar Fedoro - Tattoo
Faton Gerbeshi - Albanian Pimp
Tamer Hassan - Chechen
Alice Henley - Ukrainian girl
Boris Isarov - Russian Boss
Raza Jaffrey - Doctor Aziz
Radoslaw Kaim - Head waiter
Yuri Klimov - Russian Boss
Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse - Tatiana
Elisa Lasowski - Ukrainian dancing girl
Ksenia Lavrentieva - Tatiana (voice)
Liam McKenna - Paramedic
Aleksandar Mikic - Soyka
Mina E. Mina - Mr. Azim
Igor Outkine - Russian Musician
David Papava - Chechen
Rebecca Reid - Georgian Girl
Peter Rnic - Football Thug
Michael Sarne - Valery Nabokov
Jerzy Skolimowski - Stepan Khitrov
Mia Soteriou - Mrs. Azim
Tereza Srbova - Kirilenko
Brice Stratford - Russian Heavy (voice)
Badi Uzzaman - Chemist
Richard Waller - Chelsea Supporter