Cronenberg masterfully directs one of the most enthralling action movies in years.

In 2004, David Cronenberg directed A History of Violence, a movie starring Viggo Mortensen that revolved around the life of a man who veiled his past from his family, and must fight to protect himself when his history of violence comes back to haunt him. Upon release, Cronenberg (who’s mostly known for making psychological thrillers) was praised for his innovative style, and even garnered comparison to the great directors of the past (such as Scorsese and DePalma). With Eastern Promises, Cronenberg takes his unique sense of storytelling and cinematography (as well as Viggo Mortensen) and melds them together to create his second consecutive masterpiece, a thrilling mob drama with well-developed characters and some superb fight scenes.

Eastern Promises revolves around the Vory V Zakone, a Russian gang run out of London. The gang is headed by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), an old man who’s respected by everyone and has total control over other gangs in London. His son, Kirill (Vincent Cassell), is erratic and prone to overreacting to nearly anything. On many occasions, Semyon turns to Kirill’s driver Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) to do odd jobs for him, such as delivering money, soliciting bribes and disposing of bodies.

Meanwhile, on the other side of London, a nurse named Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) takes care of an infant who was left parentless after the young girl who gave birth to her died in labor. Anna decides to take care of the baby until she can find any relatives. She finds a diary on the body of the mother, and soon learns that she was involved with the brutal and violent underworld of the Russian mob. As she attempts to get the diary translated, her world and the Vory V Zakone’s world collide with one another, and both sides need to figure out how to stay safe.

Cronenberg never lets the movie get too out of hand. It runs at a slow and steady pace, allowing us to learn about the characters instead of just skimming over them. He combines long, graceful scenes chockfull of dialogue with brief scenes of chaos and violence. The juxtaposition makes for an intense feeling, one where your blood is pumping and heart racing in anticipation of what could happen next.

While a majority of the actors do a decent job, it’s Mortensen that once again steals the show. His ability to reach deep down and immerse himself in every role is his talent. For Eastern Promises, he adopts a Russian accent and a rigid demeanor that transforms him from an actor to an actual mobster. Every second he’s on screen, he’ll captivate you, leaving you wondering how an actor could so convincingly portray another person.

And of course, there’s the infamous bathroom fight scene, where Cronenberg has Mortensen fight two mobsters naked. The scene is brutal, filled with blood and seemingly endless, yet he directs it in a way that flows brilliantly. It’s worth seeing the movie for that scene alone, since it makes all other action scenes in the last ten years pale in comparison.

With his last two movies, Cronenberg has carved a niche for himself amongst the great directors of the 20th and 21st century. When we look back on who influenced movie making, Cronenberg will be placed along side Scorsese, Hitchcock and Tarantino, all directors who used their creativity and uniqueness to form a name for themselves. Don’t be surprised to find Cronenberg’s name come up around Oscar time for best director. He’s gotten my vote. Grade: A-