Eastern Promises

The mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin (Mortensen) is a driver for one of London's most notorious organized crime families of Eastern European origin. The family itself is part of the Vory V Zakone criminal brotherhood, headed by Semyon - whose courtly charm as the welcoming proprietor of the plush Trans-Siberian restaurant impeccably masks a cold and brutal core.

But Nikolai's carefully maintained existence is jarred once he crosses paths at Christmastime with Anna Khitrova (Watts) - a midwife at a North London hospital. Anna is deeply affected by the desperate situation of a young teenager who dies while giving birth to a baby. Anna resolves to try to trace the baby's lineage and relatives. The girl's personal diary also survives her, it is written in Russian - and Anna seeks answers in it. But by delving into the diary - Anna has accidentally unleashed the full fury of the Vory brotherhood.

With Semyon closing ranks and Anna pressing her inquiries - Nikolai unexpectedly finds his loyalties divided. The family tightens its grip on him; who can - or should - he trust? Several lives - including his own - hang in the balance as a harrowing chain of murder - deceit - and retribution reverberates through the darkest corners of both the family and London itself.