This was more of a standard gangster pick that did tie things up in a bow a little too quickly and easily at the end but I was never really not engaged or annoyed by its pretense.

It's a second or third-tier gangster movie, which means I will still be entertained by it when it comes on one Sunday afternoon when there's no good sports on TV and I just feel like watching something without thinking too hard. It's like a slightly inferior Russian version of State of Grace to me.

Meanwhile, I haven't tried to watch 21 Grams since I saw it in the theater when I walked out feeling like I had just watched a movie that thought it was a lot deeper than it actually was which bored me more than it depressed me or made me think.

I'll take Eastern Promises over History of Violence as well, although it's a lot closer than 21 Grams.