Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises is not for the faint-hearted - none of David Cronenberg's films are, but this one is very scary. The London it portrays is both familar and very strange - populated by Russian gangsters, steeped in the codes and rituals of the labour camps and the black economy. Their modus operandi is brutal in the extreme, yet at the same time, convivial family gatherings and seasonal festivals all take place, populated with nicely-spoken children, complete with perfect English accents almost certainly learnt at exclusive English prep schools. The film is telling British society, 'This is how your world is, now, and you'd better get used to it'.
Viggo Mortenson was scarily superb - I heard Mark Kermode call him, in his review on Radio 5, the new Robert DeNiro, in his commitment to his roles and the film, and the lengths to which he's prepared to go in inhabiting his character. Apparently he spent a great deal of time in Russia, meeting some extremely dodgy character, and perfecting his accent. I thought he was remarkable as the low-ranking taxi-driver for the criminals, complete with tattoos acquired in a labour camp.
The film had mixed reviews, with many claiming it wasn't as good as the superb History of Violence. I thought the ending was a bit tacked on, and didn't quite hang together, but taken as a whole, its portrait of the post-Communist Russian incursion into London was compelling and eye-opening, especially an eye-wateringly scene in a bath-house which left me gasping.