Cronenberg delivers with ‘Promises’

In theaters

EASTERN PROMISES, directed by David Cronenberg, written by Steve Knight, 96 minutes, rated R.

W

atching David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises,” which joins “The Brave One” and “3:10 to Yuma” in being among the first intelligent, adult-oriented films of the new season, is like shaking off all the bad memories that tend to go hand-in-hand with the dog days of summer.

Sitting there in the dark looking up at the screen, where a skilled director is at work and the acting is a veil, you find yourself immersed in the surprise of a gripping story peopled with real characters. There is no “Underdog” here, no “Balls of Fury,” no “Mr. Woodcock,” no “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.” And while, yes, there obviously is a demand for those films, after a summer clogged with too much “Shrek,” it feels good to be in the presence of the real thing again.

“Eastern Promises” is the real thing, a movie arranged to engage, shake and provoke. Steve Knight wrote the script, which sets the story in the dreariest version of London audiences have seen since, say, “Dirty Pretty Things,” which Knight also wrote. He shouldn’t expect the key to the city anytime soon. Like that movie, “Promises” exposes London’s uglier corners in ways that that city might sooner want you to forget.

The film explores the Russian mafia’s stronghold over London, with Viggo Mortensen again teaming with Cronenberg after their successful pairing in 2005’s “A History of Violence.” Here, their collaboration flourishes, with Mortensen outstanding as Nikolai, a driver of few words (“I drive car”) whose employer is a powerful, corrupt family led by the coolly evil Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl).

Typical of a mob story, Semyon is a hive of complexities (more Brando, less Gandolfini), perhaps more proud of his borscht than he is of his son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), a screw-up of the first order who Semyon is working to contain.

But when a nurse named Anna (Naomi Watts) comes into their lives with the diary of a dead Russian girl whose life ended while giving birth, Semyon’s focus wavers. Now he must not only keep his unstable son in line, but also Anna, who has no idea that the contents of that diary, written in Russian, can implicate Semyon and his family, and bring them down.

Who does Semyon turn to for help? Naturally, solid, dependable Nikolai. Trouble is, solid, dependable Nikolai secretly is attracted to Anna in ways that deepen the movie with satisfying twists along Cronenberg’s dark playing field.

Filled with scenes of note – the most talked about being Mortensen’s expertly handled, nude fight in a Turkish bathhouse – “Eastern Promises” is a fresh blast of toxic air that lingers. It’s a movie about good and evil first, violence second, and while it might seem while watching the movie that I have that backwards, it isn’t the slitting of throats you consider after walking away from the film, but those who chose a life of violence, those who chose to resist it, and the vague reasons why.

Grade: A-

On DVD

This week, somebody in Hollywood obviously got their chi together, because when it comes to DVD, everywhere you look, there’s a worthwhile new release.

The best of the lot is Fox’s “The Roger Corman Collection,” which is a must-have for any fan of unbridled horror and camp. The collection features seven B-movies, including “Premature Burial,” “The Wild Angels,” “Gas-s,” “X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes,” “The Trip,” “The Young Racers,” “Bucket of Blood” and the most noteworthy of the bunch, “Bloody Mama.”

That movie infamously features Academy Award-winning actress Shelley Winters wielding a machine gun in her iconic role as Ma Barker, with Robert De Niro featured in an early performance. What surprises about the set is the level of talent involved for what many might pass off as bottom-feeding dreck. Those who come to this entertaining collection will find Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, Susan Strasberg, Dennis Hopper, Ray Milland and Talia Shire. It goes without saying that none do their (*cough*) best work here, but if you’re into these sorts of movies, that’s sort of the point.

Also from Fox is the second season of “My Name is Earl,” the affable, offbeat comedy that finds Jason Lee’s Earl still working through his list of self-improvements while trying to get his life back on track. For him, that means righting the wrongs in his sorry life, though this season is something of a departure.

It doesn’t always rely on the hook found in the premiere season – structuring each episode around Earl’s list. Instead, this season makes an effort to break free from those limitations in an effort to round out the characters. Cameos abound, with Burt Reynolds, Rosanne Barr, Jenny McCarthy and Christian Slater, among others, all showing up to help Earl improve his karma before it’s too late.

Finally, just out on HD DVD and Blu-ray disc are “Viva Las Vegas” and “Jail House Rock,” two swell throwbacks for the Elvis fan, with each release receiving a nice technical lift given that the sound quality is superior in high definition. For these movies, the remastered soundtracks prove a bonus, particularly since in each, Elvis is given to launching into enthusiastic bouts of song.

In “Vegas,” the King waxes cute opposite Ann-Margret – and a muscle car. In “Rock,” he shoots for recording stardom after a flamboyant stint in the big house. The songs and the stagy performances remain the selling points of each movie, but so does the kitsch, which still defines these films – and which still serves them well.

Grades: “Corman”: A-; “Earl”: B; “Vegas”: B+ “Rock”: B+

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.