The mysterious
and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai
Luzhin (Viggo 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 (Academy Award nominee Armin
Mueller-Stahl), whose courtly charm
as the welcoming proprietor of the
plush Trans-Siberian restaurant
impeccably masks a cold and brutal
core, the family's fortunes are
tested by Semyon's volatile son and
enforcer, Kirill (Vincent Cassel),
who is more tightly bound to Nikolai
than to his own father. But
Nikolai's carefully maintained
existence is jarred once he crosses
paths at Christmastime with Anna
Khitrova (Academy Award nominee
Naomi 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. Anna's mother
Helen does not discourage her, but
Anna's irascible Russian-born uncle
Stepan (Jerzy Skolimowski) urges
caution. He is right to do so; by
delving into the diary, Anna has
accidentally unleashed the full fury
of the Vory. With Semyon and Kirill
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.
Released December 23,
2007 |