- 9
...a masterful mood piece with a surplus of atmosphere.
—J. Hoberman LA Weekly
- 9
...a masterful mood piece with a surplus of atmosphere.
—J. Hoberman Village Voice
- 9
...is no ordinary crime thriller, just as Cronenberg is no ordinary director.
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 9
...one of Cronenberg's subtlest, most insinuating pictures, and one of the highlights of the year so far.
—Glenn Kenny Premiere
- 8
...an icily seductive parable about family, power, unconventional justice and the perils of answered prayers.
—Maitland McDonagh TV Guide
- 8
...another entrallingly pulpy but affecting and multilayered crime drama from maverick director David Cronenberg.
—Leah Rozen People
- 8
...while Eastern Promises works overall on more of a low, insinuating simmer, it's one of Cronenberg's most satisfying pictures.
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 8
Brilliant film. Brilliant director.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 8
The rigor of Mr. Cronenberg?s direction sometimes seems at odds with the humanism of Mr. Knight?s script, but more often the director?s ruthless formal command rescues the story from its maudlin impulses. Mr. Knight aims earnestly for your heartstrings, but Mr. Cronenberg insists on getting under your skin. The result is a movie whose images and implications are likely to stay in your head for a long time.
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 8
Cronenberg, a world-class provocateur, reminds us that the London streets still aren't safe and they probably never were.
—Chris Cabin filmcritic.com
- 8
...a superior follow-up to the overpraised A History of Violence.
—Lou Lumenick New York Post
- 7
Expertly realized and gunmetal slick, Eastern Promises whirs along with perfect efficiency, but doesn't stir much in the way of visceral horror despite its penchant for treating the human body like a chicken carcass on a block.
—Carina Chocano Los Angeles Times
- 7
...a straighter version of Inland Empire, which is not to say that it isn't totally queer.
—Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine
- 7
...an engrossing, politically conscious thriller with superior acting that doesn't reveal how little it's up to until it whiffs to a close.
—Keith Phipps Onion AV Club
- 7
...an academic meditation in underworld-thriller drag -- a movie that looks about as close to a straight-ahead, down-and-dirty genre entertainment as anything the director has made since his exploding-head horror days.
—Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly
- 7
...too much of Eastern Promises is cultish and silly.
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 6
Although Eastern Promises fails to live up to the expectations raised by A History of Violence, it's not a complete letdown.
—Tim Knight Reel
- 6
It does indeed have much to recommend, including Mortensen's seething performance, but does it live up to its brilliant predecessor? Unfortunately, it doesn't; but it's still worth seeing for Cronenberg fans.
—Pete Hammond Maxim
- 6
...even with Naomi Watts providing a little extra star power, Eastern Promises takes more than it gives.
—Alex Markerson E!