Cronenberg directs the story in a rather bleak manner and it seems rather low budget at times. Viggo Mortenson plays his role with convincing aplomb and Naomi Watts holds your attention without hogging the limelight. The bath-house scene is well acted but gruesome and predictable. Mortenson's speed of recovery in hospital belies belief and the ending hints of a sequel maybe? The extras on the dvd are worth your time.
Good actors in a thriller with the surprises and twists you should expect in that genre - shot on location in London - and you do wonder if this can happen when we know about radioactive tea being served.
Heavy violence in London's den of multi-culture. A Russian émigré family mired in criminality find incriminating evidence in the possession of an English girl of Russian decent; a diary to be precise. Crime caper unfolds as we glimpse into the world of the Russian mafia.
Suspense, mystery and action combine to keep you gripped until a surprise ending. Worth a watch without doubt. Cronenberg likes his layers as this onion script unpeels.