Too Much Of Viggo's Arse

I have just watched Eastern Promises starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts. I had high hopes for this film but it just didn't deliver. Watts did her usual squirrel toothed cute performance but seemed out of place but had a nice arse in those jeans. Mortensen was a typical slicked back smoking Slav whose character just wasn't fully fleshed out. I had heard about the naked fight scene in the sauna but seeing Viggo's bum and little todger violently killing bad/badder guys was just too much. He played a Russian mobster who was really on the payroll of Scotland yard but this was only briefly mentioned. Its a David Cronenberg film and its like he heard a little about the Russian mob and thought it was enough to make a movie about.

The film milled about but didn't go anywhere, nothing was finalised except he was now deep into the mob which we assume was his mission.

I then watched A History of Violence with Mortensen and Maria Bello which was also a Cronenberg film. Better than the first though I was still sickened to see Viggo's bum yet again.
Viggo played a Philly mob hit man who changed his name and became a family man in a small town. When his cafe is robbed he shows his skill for killing which tips off the mob as run by his brother. Ed Harris comes looking for him and eventually Viggo's family finds out the truth. More to this film than just posing about looking slavic.

Bello is a beauty as usual and William Hurt does well as the crazy mob brother in the final scenes.
Cronenberg doesn't seem to be very good with endings and a simple word or two at the end would have made it more satisfying but Cronenberg ends in silence.

Its like Cronenberg is making films for himself. Lay of the heavy handed drama and take more time with the story not the lighting.

It was enjoyable to see Viggo's teenage son beat up the bullies at school with some good moves. Watch History of Violence and give Eastern promises a miss unless you like Viggo's pasty white arse.