Article: Viggo's mobster delivers on his promise; Tough: Viggo Mortensen.

Byline: Chris Tookey

Eastern Promises (18)Verdict: Great acting, but the violence is graphic ***

DAVID CRONENBERG'S use of violence in his movies has often been, to put itpolitely, questionable. Most of his earliest filmsfrom The Brood to Dead Ringersdisplay a barely disguised sadism. In Crash, he took a deliberatelynon-judgmental, yet eroticised, approach towards mutilating others for one'sown sexual gratification.

Eastern Promises again courts controversy by containing two extremely nastythroat-cuttings and a grisly fight in a Turkish bath, which certainly countsamong the goriest on celluloid.

So two major questions arise: is this film any good? And should ...

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