13th Monkey
Also added this to the site reviews in case peeps miss this thread:
Spoiler free review:
Im really glad the "old battle axe" changed her mind at the last minute and decided to watch this instead of the flavor of the week RE sequel.
Its a great take on an "organization" that does not get a lot of movie exposure and has some brilliantly cast actors especially Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl).
Viggo Mortensen is absolutely badass, if you liked his performance in A History of Violence, this trumps it hands down. His accent is a little shaky at a few points, but the attitude makes up for it and more.
This movie makes you believe in the characters and their background which is subtly done with the smallest mannerisms of the individual actors. EP has some great cronenberg visuals with wonderful coloring, placement and relation. Some of the shots of fruit and food are used so extremely well with certain scenes that it actually provides foreshadowing and plot intent.
Eastern Promises also includes a shocking, bloody mess of tremendous gore scenes. I was laughing the whole time as my wife had a death grip on my arm and an elderly couple in the row in front of us continued to throw their hands over each others eyes .
To top it off, it has one of the most raw fight scenes I've ever witnessed.
The setup and realization of this specific melee is very intense and due to some "circumstances" , which a remarkably similar word also could describe the scene circumcised (you will understand when you see it) It will probably be one of the most memorable altercations you will ever see.
Like most movies, some parts hinge on coincidence. These situations in EP are done very well to move the plot along and dont seem to out of place. They are easily forgiven as the original story and once again amazing acting will blow you away.
In the end, what you suspect the situation is, it really turns out to be....but cronenberg directs it so well that instead of feeling letdown by a plot twist, you actually go back to think about the things that have happened and how dedicated people are and how difficult life can be.
A+, my favorite movie so far this year
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765443/
The mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo 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 (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 (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.
Last edited by D_N_G; 22 Sep 2007 at 11:04 AM.
on Fast track Status
With this and A History of Violence, its strange to think for years Cronenberg was considered a talented oddity, and not much more.
Suddenly this guy is making movies that people can relate to, but still maintaining a good portion of his bizzare and strange qualities.
If he goes 3/3 I might even forgive him for Crash.
Originally Posted by William Oldham
Drive By
I didn't like a History of Violence but I've heard great things about this.
Hostages? **** em'
Just got back from seeing this. I'd definitely give it an A-. It is kind of slow and plodding, but that just gives the violence that much more impact.
The naked bathroom fight is one of the most intense scenes I've seen in a looooong time. I think I liked A History of Violence a bit more, if only for Ed Harris' character (who is almost matched by Viggo this time around)
I would've liked this movie more if the ending wasn't a mess. So many loose ends it just left me confused other than satisfied.
13th Monkey
the main story was about the baby and tatiana which was concluded perfectly.
the other piece was a side plot. most of that part of the storyline was inferred and didnt really need to be wrapped up as the movie plot was not centered around his character. you know viggo is still undercover and now he has taken over as the main boss or partners with kirilin (depends if he turned him in too to get sole power) . semyon was put away on the rape due to the dna match. it ends with viggo sitting in the same spot Semyon always was signifying the gain in power. also you know that since viggo stayed on this path he cant be with anna, and he truly fell in love with her in the end
Hostages? **** em'
Retard imo.
Eat my asshole.
I want to know what happens to Kirill, if the main character's plot about becoming boss came true and if it did did he get rid of Kirill and is he still a cop, what exactly happened to the original boss, etc.
Those should all have been answered. I hate the word "implied" because it gives writers a scape goat when they fuck up.
Hostages? **** em'
The only thing you don't know is what exactly happens to Kirill.
You know that Nikolai is now boss.
You know that the Boss is locked up for the rape.
And you obviously know that Nikolai is still undercover.
it's called using your brain instead of needing a clip of the cops busting in on the boss and cuffing him.
The movie is about Anna and Nokolai, and through the brief glimpse of their state at the end, you can easily deduce these things given what took place in the movie.
This is all just implied. You and I both know it. It doesn't necessarily have to happen this way.
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