Eastern Promises (2007)

When a 14 year old Russian immigrant (Sarah Jeanne Labrosse) who's has been forced into prostitution and turned into a heroin addict dies in childbirth, a British midwife (Naomi Watts) of Russian heritage finds herself embroiled in the workings of the Russian Mafia and sex trafficking. Directed by David Cronenberg (DEAD RINGERS), this is strong stuff. Strong enough that Cronenberg doesn't need to linger over the graphic scenes of violence and rub our faces in it. We've had scads of movies about the Mafia (thank you, Scorsese and Coppola) but only rarely has the Russian mafia been used as a subject. It's as frightening as a film can be without crossing over into horror movie territory. I can't praise Mortensen's Oscar nominated performance enough, it's electric. He immerses himself in the character and commands the screen every time he's on the screen. Armin Mueller Stahl as a mafia kingpin provides a chilling portrayal of a ruthless criminal with the facade of a kindly grandfather. With Vincent Cassel as Mueller Stahl's repressed homosexual son, Sinead Cusack, Jerzy Skolimowski and Mina E. Mina.