How can I put this?

I really liked "Eastern Promises".....I think. After watching the film I felt it wasn't what I expected it to be. For those of you who have seen trailers and think they know what they are getting into are probably into a surprise. The ending was rather abrupt which made me wonder what was this film about.

But after the film I got to thinking more and more about it and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it, but just to be sure I want to see it for a second time.

The film is a masterful crime genre piece probably the most graphic yet entertaining crime film I've seen since "The Departed" last year. It would be a crime to give away the plot of this film but to give the bare essentials it involves a woman who dies giving birth, she is treated by a doctor (Played by Naomi Watts) who finds a diary the woman had.

The Russian mafia play an important part too when it turns out the diary contains contents involving some members.

The key character here is played by Viggo Mortensson who deserves an oscar nomination as an ice cold chauffeur for the mafia. Mortensson is able to find every shade of this character to make the audience wonder about who he is exactly and what side he's on.

There is an ambitious film in the background here where director David Cronenberg shows us the inner workings of the Russian mob ala "The Godfather", but he mostly stays on track to the core human element involving Watts, the baby, and the diary, the bigger story is only hinted at.

The violence is very graphic mostly involving a couple of cut throats and a killer knife fight in a bath house, what's interesting especially in a crime film such as this is I don't think I heard one gun shot fired.

The key to this movie is Mortensson, he makes the film intriguing to follow through. All I can say is don't come in expecting a regular mafia movie, there's something more than meets the eye but that's all I will say.