Eastern Promises

Midwife Anna (Watts) delivers a baby in a London hospital as the baby's mother, Tatiana, a teen prostitute from Russia, dies in Anna's arms. Haunted by the young girl's demise as well as her own demons, Anna's attempts to track down Tatiana's identity lead her to a Russian mafia gang led by Semyon (Mueller-Stahl). Seymon's son Kirill (Cassel) and bodyguard/driver Nikolai (a marvelous Mortenson) dole out a fierce brand of brutality, brought to full-tilt in a bloody bathhouse scene. Director Cronenberg's vision is unflinching, messy, and raw in all the right places in this complicated but resonating morality tale.