EASTERN PROMISES (2007) You don't want to f**k with the Russian Mafia

If throat slicing leaves you cold, skip David Cronenberg's crime drama/mystery thriller, EASTERN PROMISES (2007), about life, death, debauchery and betrayal in the treacherous world of the Russian Mafia. But if you admire fine acting, promise you'll see it for Viggo Mortensen's tightly coiled portrayal of a mob boss’s driver, an enigmatic man with both a hidden agenda and many tattoos. Naomi Watts co-stars as a British midwife who crosses paths with Mortensen's character. (Trivia note: Ms. Watts gets her genes from Miv and Peter Watts, she an antiques dealer and costume and set designer; he, a road manager and sound engineer who worked with the Brit group Pink Floyd. That's Peter's maniacal laugh and Miv's line, "Cruisin' for a bruisin,'" that you hear in the group’s classic “The Dark Side of the Moon.”)