"Eastern Promises" (**1/2)

There really isn't anything majorly wrong with David Cronenber's new film, "Eastern Promises;" it just does not live up to the high expectations that I had for it. "A History of Violence," Cronenberg's last film was a modern masterpiece, a marvel of a film, and his latest one just can't live up to it.

Anna Khitrova is a midwife who is investigating the background of a mother who died in her ward while giving birth. This leads her to the Vory V Zakone, the Russiana mafia. She investigates the family's role in the woman's death and strikes up a friendship with their driver, Nikolai Luzhin. The story is a fairly simple one. It is told pretty straightforward, but there is an interesting twist towards the end that I did not see coming. I just didn't find the story as engaging as Cronenber's previous films. The story isn't a bad one; I was just expecting more.

The performances in the film are pretty good. Viggo Mortensen, once again, delivers a great performance. I really hope he decides to work with Cronenberg again. His performance may not be as good as his turn in "A History of Violence," but it is a creepy, brave one that may get awards attention. The rest of the cast do well, but they can't match Viggo. Naomi Watts character is well-developed, and she delivers a good performance, but it is just not as good as her previous roles. Armin Mueller-Stahl is also noteworthy.

Overall, David Cronenberg has composed a good film. It just falls a little flat compared to his previous works. One good thing that I do see coming from this film; however, is the beginnings of a great and hopefully long relationship between Cronenberg and the film's star, Viggo Mortensen.