Having actors play characters that are either foreign to there nationality or to their faith, shows the versatility and ingenuity of their craft. There have been many actors that have transformed themselves into roles that take on a persona all their own. Here Viggo Mortensen does a fantastic job as a Russian gangster in England, with all the mannerisms and language nuances that go along with a character like that. With David Cronenberg behind the helm this story is so gritty and realistic that you walk away afterwards thinking that you've just watched one of the best gangster films to be made in years.
Nikolai Luzhin is a Russian gangster working in London and goes out of his way to save his "family" from business and personal embarrassment, but is he doing it for the "family" or does he have his own agenda. Cronenberg sets up this story so well that there are times that the audience doesn't see what's coming, and with scenes like that throughout the film the drama and suspense just keeps mounting. There isn't a lot of gore in this story so in that instance it's not your regular Cronenberg film, but the action that is laid out is everything that you would expect from one of his movies. With a supporting cast that includes Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel we're given a rare opportunity to in seeing that next stage in the gangster genre of film making.
I've always had a soft spot for this genre of film, and when there are new avenues that studios, or directors, decide to take, it interests me to see how authentic they can make it seem. I've enjoyed some of the more classic films like "Angels with Dirty Faces" and "The Roaring Twenties" up to "The Godfather", "Miller's Crossing", and "Casino" but with this film we're tossed into a more modern story that is both captivating and entrancing. It's a shame that Mortensen didn't win the Oscar for this role, he is so immersed in the character that you believe every step of the way that he is a Russian mobster.
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