Eastern Promises

This is one of the movies that is so alive it practically breathes. Everything about it is richly authentic; the acting, the music, the cinematography, the writing... The characters are real people. Their actions say more about them than their words do, which helps avoid a lot of exposition. The pace is almost perfect, like the calm momentum of the sea; it never spends too long or too little on a scene. And, for a movie about a concept as cliched as the mob, Eastern Promises is quite original. Instead of glorifying the mobsters before dramatically tearing them down, the film portrays them as tragically empty people from the very beginning. There are no woeful, nostalgic speeches about honor and respect. It's more about family to these people, though not in a warm, bear-hug sense. Definitely worth more than one viewing.