Eastern Promises is a crime thriller movie released in 2007 and directed by David Cronenberg. The movie stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl in lead roles.
The movie's story revolves around a Russian teenager named Tatiana, who dies giving birth in a London hospital. The hospital's midwife named Anna (played by Naomi Watts) finds a diary in Tatiana's possessions that leads her to a Russian restaurant owned by a mob family.
Anna seeks the help of Semyon (played by Armin Mueller-Stahl), the owner of the restaurant, to translate Tatiana's diary. Semyon is actually a high-ranking member of a violent Russian mob family involved in illegal activities like prostitution and trafficking of girls.
As Anna delves deeper into Tatiana's diary, she learns that Tatiana was forced into prostitution and raped by Semyon's son, Kirill (played by Vincent Cassel). Tatiana's diary also contains information about a valuable diary which could expose the entire Russian mob family's illegal activities.
As Anna tries to uncover the truth and protect Tatiana's baby, she finds herself entangled in a dangerous world of violence, deceit, and corruption. She forms an unexpected bond with Nikolai (played by Viggo Mortensen), Semyon's mysterious driver, who has ulterior motives of his own.
The movie's violent and graphic scenes, especially one involving a bathhouse fight, garnered critical praise for its raw depiction of the Russian criminal underworld. Eastern Promises received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Viggo Mortensen's performance as Nikolai.