Canadian director, screenwriter, producer, and actor David Cronenberg is well-known for his work in body horror — a genre he helped originate. With a particular interest in exploring biological and technological transformations, Cronenberg first made his mark as a director with sci-fi horror films like Shivers (1975), the cult classic Scanners (1981), and The Fly (1986) — some of Cronenberg’s best movies. However, he’s not a one-trick pony; he has also employed his taste for gore and violence, sometimes controversial to audiences, into other genres. In fact, two of the most respected action films of the 2000s, or arguably ever, have come from his hand: A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. And he made them back-to-back.
Interestingly, both of these movies include mob or mafia-related themes, a topic rife with opportunity for physical violence, and thus an excellent canvas for Cronenberg to explore his preferred themes. “For me, the first fact of human existence is the human body,” Cronenberg once told Cinephila Beyond, “but for me to turn away from any aspect of the human body to me is a philosophical betrayal.” When discussing the gory reality of his work, he said, “I don’t ever feel that I’ve been exploitative in a crude, vulgar way, or just doing it to get attention. It’s always got a purpose which I can be very articulate about.” That sentiment proves true in both of his action films, and the result was two critically acclaimed projects that could be considered the pinnacle of his 21st century career.
‘A History of Violence’ (2005)
- Release Date
- September 23, 2005
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
Based on the 1997 DC graphic novel of the same name, A History of Violence explores the story of small-town Tom Stall, who becomes a local hero after killing two thieves in his diner. The story quickly becomes dark when a mobster from Philadelphia pops up claiming that Tom, played by Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen, is actually Joey Cusack — a former hitman for the mob who fled the city years earlier.
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What follows is a violent game of cat-and-mouse as Tom’s true identity is parsed out and the morality of his actions untangled. Famous film critic Roger Ebert noted the title of the movie was a triple entendre and could mean “(1) a suspect with a long history of violence; (2) the historical use of violence as a means of settling disputes; (3) the innate violence of Darwinian evolution, in which better-adapted organisms replace those less able to cope.”
In fact, A History of Violence explores all three of these definitions by looking at the (innate and learned) violence of everyone in the Stall family, not just Tom. In Tom’s journey to reunite with his estranged gangster brother, we witness some surprisingly gruesome moments that feel bone-crushingly real, far more so than most action movies. It’s all directed with an ominous sense of the inevitable, which makes the film endlessly gripping but also darkly foreboding.
A History of Violence Is One of the Century’s Best
The movie was quickly acclaimed, with both audiences and critics praising the actors’ performances, the screenwriting, and the atmosphere Cronenberg was able to create. William Hurt was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and writer Josh Olsen for Best Adapted Screenplay. Considered an action movie more focused on character than plot, A History of Violence was featured on many “best of” lists by organizations like the Toronto International Film Festival and the BBC, and in a 2016 international survey that polled 177 film critics, was considered among the greatest 100 films since 2000.
In his review, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called Cronenberg “the most unsung maverick artist in movies” and praised both the director’s ideas and execution: “Cronenberg knows violence is wired into our DNA. His film showed how we secretly crave what we publicly condemn. This is potent poison for a thriller, and unadulterated, unforgettable Cronenberg.”
‘Eastern Promises’ (2007)
- Release Date
- September 21, 2007
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Production Company
- Kudos Film and Television, Corus Entertainment, Astral Media, BBC Films, Serendipity Point Films, Shine Pictures, Focus Features, Telefilm Canada, Scion Films
In the 2007 action flick Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg reunited with actor Viggo Mortensen from A History of Violence, along with Naomi Watts, to tell a visceral story about the Russian mafia. If you want to see the true range of a great actor, you only have to see how utterly different Mortensen is in these two films; he completely transforms into very different characters, despite the same director and the same genre.
Watts portrays a Russian-British midwife who delivers the baby of a young Ukrainian girl named Natalia, who tragically dies during childbirth. Armed with the biological mother’s diary, containing descriptions of being sex trafficked, Anna undergoes a search for the baby’s family and ends up in a tangled web of career gangsters who don’t hesitate to lie or shoot, especially when they learn of the diary.
With mob leader Seymon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) orchestrating everyone’s steps, along with his “fixer” Nikolai (Mortensen) and drug-addled son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), Anna has her work cut out for her if she wants to protect the baby and learn the truth about Natalia’s fate. Nikolai is confronted with his own morality, and instead of killing Anna, he decides to help her, a decision that leads to untold amounts of violence.
Eastern Promises Depicts a Violent Reality
With plenty of gory executions, often with linoleum knives (surprisingly, no guns were featured in the film), Eastern Promises delivers on both Cronenberg’s trademark brutality and rumination on the human body (and its gory insides). The film includes what’s often known as one of the greatest fight scenes in film history, taking place in a bathhouse with a completely nude Mortensen engaged in a fight to the death. It has become one of Cronenberg’s most gruesome scenes, but also a master class in choreography, editing, and acting. Naked and with no ability to hide anything, we see all the tensions of Mortensen’s musculature as he’s forced to perfectly execute (literally) the fight.
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Eastern Promises was also praised for its authenticity, particularly with regard to the criminals. Mortensen prepared for his role by studying Russian gangsters, spending time with an organized crime specialist for the UN, and learning everything he could about the Russian mafia’s very specific and meaningful tattoos (which completely adorn his character’s body). In fact, when he entered an establishment while filming on-location, the people present grew silent with fear until he explained that his ink was fake — proving not only how real it appeared, but also how dangerous the real mobsters must be.
Eastern Promises Is Recognized for Its Greatness
Eastern Promises is often ranked neck-and-neck with A History of Violence. The former is much darker and action-heavy, while the latter is more suspenseful and has a nasty sense of humor. The Toronto Film Festival awarded Eastern Promises the Audience Prize for Best Film, and it also received 12 Genie Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations. Mortensen won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor. As in 2005, Cronenberg’s 2007 film was featured on numerous “Top Ten” lists (at least 13) of the best films of 2007 by a variety of reputable outlets.
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With how beloved the film came to be, it’s not a surprise that Cronenberg was interested in pursuing a sequel. In fact, the script for the follow-up to Eastern Promises was in the works back in 2013 until the project abruptly died. When questioned, Cronenberg blamed James Schamus at Focus for the decision to scrap it. However, the pieces of that sequel were eventually developed into their own separate feature film: the yet-to-be-released Small Dark Look, with Jason Statham in the lead and Martin Zandvliet attached to direct. The last we heard about that project, though, came four years ago, so it may have died another death.
Perhaps Cronenberg will one day bless us with another action-filled masterpiece, but for now, these two juggernauts should hold you over. A History of Violence is available to rent or buy on digital platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, and Google Play. Eastern Promises is streaming on Paramount+ and Hulu. Watch it through the link below.
Watch Eastern Promises
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