Eastern Promises

2007, Rated R, 100 minutes, Directed by David Cronenberg, Written by Steven Knight, Produced by Robert Lantos & Paul Webster, Cinematography by Peter Suschitzky, Original Music by Howard Shore

With: Viggo Mortensen (Nikolai), Vincent Cassel (Kirill), Armin Mueller-Stahl (Semyon), Naomi Watts (Anna)

The mafia lives in the world of secrets and deception, money and power, influence and intimidation. Eastern Promises fits squarely into that world in its depiction of the Russian mafia in London. It is a slow burn film that inches its way forward into a crescendo of twists and fights. It is a deep investigation into the underworld that while well focused undoes itself in the minutiae and teeters on the brink of monotony.

Mulholland Dr

2001, Rated R, 147 minutes,  Directed and Written by david Lynch, Produced by Pierre Edelman, Cinematography by Peter Deming, Original Music by Angelo Badalamenti

With: Naomi Watts (Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn), Laura Harring (Rita), Ann Miller (Catherine ‘Coco’ Lenoix, Justin Theroux (Adam Kesher)

A limousine traverses down the winding and scenic Mulholland Dr. A beautiful woman (Laura Harring) waits to reach their destination only to find the car stopped and a gun pointed at her. Her time has come to an end until a car smashes head on into the limousine leaving everyone dead but the woman who only has a scratch. Dazed and confused she heads through the woods towards LA. 

And so you enter into the Lynch’s world where you will be scratching your head asking yourself constantly what just happened, who is that, where is this going? Many of these questions will remain unanswered but will be in your mind days after the final credits roll. The multiple stories in the movie will converge and diverge sometimes at the same time. Mulholland Dr will capture your imagination but at the same time leave you with a furrowed brow and a brain tied up in so many knots that even a seasoned sailor would have trouble getting them out.