His tattoo scenes are by far the most pivotal and memorable parts of the film for me. To think it may never have been in it without Viggo's research is unbelievable.
A history of violence and eastern promises - both with Viggo Mortensen and directed by David Cronenberg - are two of the best movies of the last 20 years. Just brilliant.
Viggo is definitely a modern Renaissance Man, fluent in several languages, does meticulous research on his characters, and just straight seems like a cool dude you could spend an evening sharing experiences and stories with at the bar.
as a russian, i have to say that this movie was fairly accurate, even the nonrussians spoke russian very well, there were like maybe 5 real russians in this movie
I asked my Russian friends - including parents - if they thought Vigo's accent was genuine and I was told there was something off. As a Romanian, I could tell as well. But it still a good movie.
@@aadin that's what I mean. People say: it's perfect, but it's not. As a Romanian I can hear his Eng accent a bit - but I did practice accents so I know what it takes. Almost nobody can switch from an Western to an Eastern accent just like that - it's backwards; the tongue, muscles and whatnot can't cope with the change.
@@jamessherwood1898 For sure! Apparently, there was supposed to be a sequel too! I'm usually opposed to sequels, but this movie ended in a place that would probably make a sequel pretty decent (the undercover dude just got "promoted", and the lead dude just got arrested? could have been great). But it got shut down by some jerk at _Focus_ by the name of _James Schamus_ back in 2013 :-( (This was all from Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Promises#Sequel
@@jamessherwood1898its not really some mysterious reason. Indie types are a niche to begin with (Cronenberg pretty much only makes indie feeling films with weird vibes regardless of budget & stars). Add to that brutal rralistic violence + full male nudity & you'll immediately cut out most of the mainstream
I was in the U.S. Army, and the Russian tattoo system is exactly like the ribbons and patches on a military dress uniform, these people are soldiers in an Army.
There was a time in which Star-Tattoos in the West were pretty "trendy". Imagine to have the Stars on your Knees and/or Shoulders and end up one time with the wrong people at the wrong time and they are bored ...
Viggo is such a great actor. I love his performance in this movie, it was so real and deep. You feel the sadness because of evil, but you also know it will get better. Russian culture amazes me.
This is a VERY, VERY GOOD MOVIE and Viggo enhances the character to the T! I still learn something new about this film every time I play it. Thank you Viggo and cast for an Excellent portrayal of one aspect in life
An excellent movie with Viggo portraying the character perfectly. I love the story about him going into a eastern bloc restaurant in London while still bearing the fake tattoo's and the other customers going quiet! So it is told Viggo made sure to remove all traces before doing that again. The backdrop suited the style of the movie completely. Viggo working for the authorities ujnder cover while progressing through the "Mob". The other main actors played their parts very well contributing to the whole finished article.
These are the best fake tattoos I have ever seen on film. Usually they make them too stark looking and they look like a transfer. I really liked this film, AND it was filmed mostly not far from where I live, and the hospital I go to.
As few others have indicated - "vory v zakone" (thieves in law) is a by-gone era. A credible source in Ukraine pointed out that in modern day criminal organizations, such tattoos aren't welcome because they are counter-productive. The effectiveness of the Slavic 'mafias', is largely due to their discretion. These tattoos originated in Soviet times by political prisoners who had a great distaste for communism, and thus were criminalized through their action of opposition. Soviet regime had so many harsh arbitrary laws, that it was almost natural to be a "criminal" by its standards.
@@Decurion505 perhaps. But Slavic crews never worked/work under a centralized power structure like the Italian mafia. Far from it. There is great FBI documentary here on RUclips on this topic.
After The Lord of the Rings trilogy finished filming, Liv Tyler's stunt double was distraught because she had grown so close to the horse (the one where Arwen was being chased by the Nine). That particular horse was a pedigree very rare and expensive. But Viggo bought it and gave it to her. Top fella with a big big heart :)
The Vory Y Zakone and the Russian Mafia are actually two different entities. It's true that many members of Vory Y Zakone are in the Russian Mafia but they are not the same thing, a Vor generally will have been through the Communist prison system and will have the tattoos that are mentioned but there are also many members of the Russian mafia who have never been in prison and therefore will not have such marks on them.
I like him in this movie , I own it on dvd it appeals to me couse my uncle vlad who passed away was a member in the Romanian mafia , he didn't talk about it much , but when I was little I enjoyed looking at his tattoos on his arms, he had one with a vampire /devil looking creature and in Romanian it said below it to spill blood is personal, to kill is different,
@@aerebona9947 he didnt speak... they just saw the tattoos.... you did watch the video, didnt you? aply the tatoos takes a lot of time, so he didnt remove them in the brakes, he went to a bar, and there was a couple of russian guys that freak out because they saw the tattoos
@@thepoppunx Pablo,you have to understand the MEANING of those tattoos,as well who and what are Vor v Zakone.We are not talking about Bratva here,it's something totally different.When those Russians saw those tattoes,they had EVERYright to be frightened,trust me.
at 1:01, I recognize a particular tattoo lifted from the Russian Tattoo Encyclopaedia by Danzig Baldaev, a tat that essentially represents "This is what is destroying us!" depicting a woman, gun, knife, money, vodka, drugs, all the vices that are the life, and eventual downfall of the criminal.
Thanks for posting this! I came her to say the same, plus that "Vor v Zakone" is not the name of a specific clan or brotherhood, or a catch-all term for a type of criminal organization, it is a title that a high-ranking criminal of the type referred to by Bulletdude can have. If a reader is interested in the tattoos themselves, the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volumes I-3 is the place to start.
Viggo is such a brilliant guy. Top man :) lmao at the "one foot doesn't even have respect for the other." It's really cute at how he laughs (kinda like The Joker?) and then abruptedly stops... yeah Viggo, I think you're the only one who finds it really funny ;)
E Fayerman Yeah, prior to watching this, I've always kind of been aware of the tattoo 'system' in prisons (is it only Russia or other eastern-European countries?), but I've never really known the intensity to it and the symbolism. It really is quite incredible, like quite scary almost.
It's pretty much common among gangster traditions worldwide. Like the Yakuza and the Mexican gangs. I think the Russian version is much more specific and coded.
hahaha yeah pretty much.. he is my favourite villain, i'm a DC fan ;) i think you're probably an expert on fictional characters, but i think you need to calm down honey. :* x
I really wish Viggo and Steven Knight work together again in a movie. Knight directed Locke starring Tom Hardy, which is one of my favorite movies of all time, and he also created Peaky Blinders.
angrycaveman In prison terms it means he killed a bunch of orcs, goblins and cave trolls, scared off some wraiths, chopped the head off a major dark ops figurehead, summoned an army of the undead and broke his big toe on an Uruk Hai helmet.
The tattoos aren't that important anymore in the criminal world. The Vors are not necessarily ''the Russian Mafia''. The police are, the FSB, the Avoriets, businessmen, oligarchs, they all are. The traditional days of organized prison gangs are long gone.
Yeah, tattoos used to be a symbol or ranking for most part of the world. But nowadays most interviews claimes that you can get whatever tattoos you want
Most of the russian tattoos are out of practice since they became popular with the banditi in the ussr. Now most of those same banditi are all dead alongside the ussr. With it they took the system that created and upheld the weight of these tattoos. If you see anyone with these tattoos and they look under the age of 45 then they’re faking it
From what I've read mafia prison tattoos have a long history and they used to incorporate Communist symbols and imagery rather than religious imagery. The reason why is because some prison guards refused to touch a symbol of the Soviet Part like a picture of Marx or Lenin so the criminals would cover themselves in those sorts of images in order to avoid beatings.
They use both actually, the communist propaganda was used when the Vor were forced to operate under the iron fist of Stalin. It was illegal to destroy an emulation of a communist leader's likeness or a communist symbol/phrase. This resulted in the Russian Mafia adopting tattoos that had the likeness of Lenin, Stalin, Marx, the Hammer and Sickle, the communist star, among other things in order to avoid certain punishments. The Religious symbols came about in the late 70s, and have stuck to there place as the de facto style of Russian Mafia tattoos, but we still see renditions of the old versions, occasionally.
I think The Witcher 3 took inspiration from the steam room fight scene. Viggo would have made a great Geralt, he definitely had the swordsmanship for the role.
love his last story about the couple believing his costume. typical viggo-moment in my opinion, like the sword waving incident which he talks about on the bonus dvds from lotr :-]
It reminded me - "we all have our own laws, Vanya. You have the laws of the state, I have the law of thieves" (Red Heat) and "You see, son, all people should live by general concepts ... (pausing from shortness of breath) ... and the Baron often violated them, and now he wants to jump off altogether - it's not right ... For this you have to answer, really, the boys? At least for the sake of making it difficult for others." (By the name of Baron))))
It's a complicated system. There are different tattoos for different crimes. I think a skull signifies that you've killed someone, for instance. Wikipedia has a page on criminal tattoos. Interesting stuff!
"You're not trusted unless you have these tattoos which can show who you are and what you are" Before watching the entire thing I was gonna call BS on this, cause they all just seem to have some saints, the Kremlin, stars and a cross. But now I understand that these all indicate certain types of crimes.
@2:23 "...it's not just that it's david Cronenberg and he's going to make a weird scene..." later on has to fight butt-naked in a bathhouse so David can fantasize about him.
It's crazy to think that his character had done all those things in his life, and had been working undercover for that long to accomplish the goal of putting a snitch in the mob.
In Denmark, a claccis tat to get is one for has Hund(Dog) and the other says Kat(Cat). Means you move alot or are restless. One foor allways chases the other
Swear words like “fuck all of you”, “fuck you” etc. Are not allowed on a body. In Russian prisons people never swear to each other they use other words to describe something bad or something good. If you swear to other prisoner he has permission to punish you that’s the rules because he is right. Sometimes they just cut you tongue if you swear.
The domes actually don’t represent 3 different prison sentences but they represent the number of years spent in prison,the number of domes is the number of years you were in prison.
His tattoo scenes are by far the most pivotal and memorable parts of the film for me.
To think it may never have been in it without Viggo's research is unbelievable.
He's been a dedicated artist his whole career. It's good that he has gotten some roles in which he can express his talent.
A history of violence and eastern promises - both with Viggo Mortensen and directed by David Cronenberg - are two of the best movies of the last 20 years. Just brilliant.
yeah both absolutely top films for sure
Rewatched history of violence recently. It’s actually pretty lame, you should rewatch it. Eastern Promises stands up much better.
Viggo is definitely a modern Renaissance Man, fluent in several languages, does meticulous research on his characters, and just straight seems like a cool dude you could spend an evening sharing experiences and stories with at the bar.
as a russian, i have to say that this movie was fairly accurate, even the nonrussians spoke russian very well, there were like maybe 5 real russians in this movie
I asked my Russian friends - including parents - if they thought Vigo's accent was genuine and I was told there was something off. As a Romanian, I could tell as well. But it still a good movie.
@@cubul32 yea he spoke it with a heavy accent, compared to others he did well
Где это более-менее точно? Шестерня Виго (шофёр) стал вором в законе, завязывай чушь иностранцам втирать
@@aadin that's what I mean. People say: it's perfect, but it's not. As a Romanian I can hear his Eng accent a bit - but I did practice accents so I know what it takes. Almost nobody can switch from an Western to an Eastern accent just like that - it's backwards; the tongue, muscles and whatnot can't cope with the change.
@@cubul32 yea you have to be bilingual to understand that it's not perfect, and it isn't, but he delivered it very well
That this movie didn’t get the trilogy treatment is borderline criminal
it kinda was already part of a trilogy with Cronenberg's a History of Violence and A dangerous Method
It made no sense that we didn't get two more but doesn't surprise me at all because don't care for the real thing
Iam kinda glad it didn’t Hollywood ruins anything after the first or second 9/10 times
One of Viggo's lesser known movies.
A cult classic I think.
Certainly deserves to be on the list for all time great gangster movies.
Uh, he was nominated for Best Actor for this role. I would say that is not "lesser known movies."
i gotta watch it.. i really enjoyed 'A History of Violence' ,
@@pedrinelastronauta me too. You'll love it then. Did you know History of Violence is based on a graphic novel?
Now everything is a cult classic XD
Nah Its carlitos way... his accent in that was spot on haha
Viggo is a fantastic actor. Highly underrated!!
This is probably one of my favorite movies. Such a good movie, the acting, the back story, the plot, all the way around.
J H It’s a great film for sure and for some reason way under appreciated.
@@jamessherwood1898 For sure!
Apparently, there was supposed to be a sequel too! I'm usually opposed to sequels, but this movie ended in a place that would probably make a sequel pretty decent (the undercover dude just got "promoted", and the lead dude just got arrested? could have been great). But it got shut down by some jerk at _Focus_ by the name of _James Schamus_ back in 2013 :-(
(This was all from Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Promises#Sequel
@@jamessherwood1898its not really some mysterious reason. Indie types are a niche to begin with (Cronenberg pretty much only makes indie feeling films with weird vibes regardless of budget & stars). Add to that brutal rralistic violence + full male nudity & you'll immediately cut out most of the mainstream
I was in the U.S. Army, and the Russian tattoo system is exactly like the ribbons and patches on a military dress uniform, these people are soldiers in an Army.
That’s a very cool way to look at it! Their ranks, deployment history, accomplishments!
There was a time in which Star-Tattoos in the West were pretty "trendy".
Imagine to have the Stars on your Knees and/or Shoulders and end up one time with the wrong people at the wrong time and they are bored ...
Viggo is such a great actor. I love his performance in this movie, it was so real and deep. You feel the sadness because of evil, but you also know it will get better. Russian culture amazes me.
This is a VERY, VERY GOOD MOVIE and Viggo enhances the character to the T! I still learn something new about this film every time I play it. Thank you Viggo and cast for an Excellent portrayal of one aspect in life
I am driver. I go left, I go right, I go straight. That's it. -- terrific line by a person so much more than that.
An excellent movie with Viggo portraying the character perfectly. I love the story about him going into a eastern bloc restaurant in London while still bearing the fake tattoo's and the other customers going quiet! So it is told Viggo made sure to remove all traces before doing that again. The backdrop suited the style of the movie completely. Viggo working for the authorities ujnder cover while progressing through the "Mob". The other main actors played their parts very well contributing to the whole finished article.
+Kohl423 yeah what a great and subtle twist it was...to see him be a cop all along lol.
@@MovieHound17 Or was he a Russian criminal taking over by using the UK cops? Or both?
@@MovieHound17 He wasn't a cop, he was a Russian FSB agent operating in the London with the permission of the UK government.
i bet they were bricking it. I would if viggo was eavesdropping on me, even with no tattoos!
These are the best fake tattoos I have ever seen on film. Usually they make them too stark looking and they look like a transfer.
I really liked this film, AND it was filmed mostly not far from where I live, and the hospital I go to.
Snatch did a pretty good job with brad pitt
DeNiro's in Cape Fear were really well done too -- I heard it took a few months for them to fade after he got done shooting the movie.
What about the tattoos the CIA put on Private Allen in Modern Warfare 2 to make him fit in with Makarov's gang?
its a movie!?
That spa fight scene was fantastic. One of Cronenberg's best since Dead Ringers.
in real life, the Chechens would wipe the floor with him
@@EternalIntelligence in "real life", chechens work for GRU, just like IRA work for MI5/6
@@EternalIntelligence Bruh , he was FSB
The toughest tattoo one can carry is the Hello Kitty tatto. I am risking my life for the mere fact of saying it here.
One of my favorite Cronenberg movies. Compelling characters and story.
As few others have indicated - "vory v zakone" (thieves in law) is a by-gone era. A credible source in Ukraine pointed out that in modern day criminal organizations, such tattoos aren't welcome because they are counter-productive. The effectiveness of the Slavic 'mafias', is largely due to their discretion. These tattoos originated in Soviet times by political prisoners who had a great distaste for communism, and thus were criminalized through their action of opposition. Soviet regime had so many harsh arbitrary laws, that it was almost natural to be a "criminal" by its standards.
While the ink may have been relatively recent, the organization has been around far longer.
Some say as long ago as the first tsars.
@@Decurion505 perhaps. But Slavic crews never worked/work under a centralized power structure like the Italian mafia. Far from it. There is great FBI documentary here on RUclips on this topic.
@@igorcossack8117 perhaps culture would have been a better term than organisation but 👍
@@igorcossack8117 Could you tell me the name of the documentary please?
❤ Viggo! Such an AMAZING intelligent man & actor 👏👏👏 😊
After The Lord of the Rings trilogy finished filming, Liv Tyler's stunt double was distraught because she had grown so close to the horse (the one where Arwen was being chased by the Nine). That particular horse was a pedigree very rare and expensive. But Viggo bought it and gave it to her. Top fella with a big big heart
:)
Viggo Mortenson is not just a movie star...he's an intellectual which makes him tremendously foxy!
"Smart is sexy" - Dana Scully, 'The X-Files'
This is such an amazingly underrated movie.
Viggo is an incredible actor not just a star...his work is so authentic. He deserved an Oscar definitely.
The script for this film was written by Steven Knight of fabulous "Peaky Blinders' fame. Brilliance all around.
This was a great movie. Viggo nailed the role. I haven't seen the film since the time of its release. This makes me want to watch it again.
Viggo is a remarkable actor and interesting character in his own right. Enjoyed this video
That laugh At the end was most adorable.. ^^
This is such a good fucking movie. Watch if you haven’t yet 😊
The Vory Y Zakone and the Russian Mafia are actually two different entities. It's true that many members of Vory Y Zakone are in the Russian Mafia but they are not the same thing, a Vor generally will have been through the Communist prison system and will have the tattoos that are mentioned but there are also many members of the Russian mafia who have never been in prison and therefore will not have such marks on them.
Yes that’s true
So it's a special group like how Seal Team six is inside the Navy Seals? Very Interesting.
@@kennyv4544 Very true. In all these movies "Bratva" or "Brigada" is never mentioned. Like they think it's Italian mafia.
That bath house fight was FANTASTIC!!!
Viggo's flaccid member flailing around during the fight scene was some much needed comic relief in this gritty film
“Flaccid member”? Fighting off gangsters carrying linoleum knives in a sauna with an _erection_ would have been next level weird, even for Cronenberg.
The day this man leaves, cimena will have a tear and it'll never seam back together.
I like him in this movie , I own it on dvd it appeals to me couse my uncle vlad who passed away was a member in the Romanian mafia , he didn't talk about it much , but when I was little I enjoyed looking at his tattoos on his arms, he had one with a vampire /devil looking creature and in Romanian it said below it to spill blood is personal, to kill is different,
Viggo spooking real Russians in a bar is badass lol
yeah only Russian
not really since it's poorly done, Russian people can barely understand what he is saying, ridiculous
Yeah, i am spooked
@@aerebona9947 he didnt speak... they just saw the tattoos.... you did watch the video, didnt you? aply the tatoos takes a lot of time, so he didnt remove them in the brakes, he went to a bar, and there was a couple of russian guys that freak out because they saw the tattoos
@@aerebona9947 bullshit. he speaks really good. and I confirm as a Russian.
@@thepoppunx Pablo,you have to understand the MEANING of those tattoos,as well who and what are Vor v Zakone.We are not talking about Bratva here,it's something totally different.When those Russians saw those tattoes,they had EVERYright to be frightened,trust me.
at 1:01, I recognize a particular tattoo lifted from the Russian Tattoo Encyclopaedia by Danzig Baldaev, a tat that essentially represents "This is what is destroying us!" depicting a woman, gun, knife, money, vodka, drugs, all the vices that are the life, and eventual downfall of the criminal.
Great movie & spa fight is among the best action scenes in movie history. VM has a superb body
"Eastern Promises". Never stood still at the title but what a beautiful name for a film.
Symbology...I can just hear Agent Smecker stare at him
daniel Goad ssssssymbolism I believe the word you’re looking for is sssssymbolism.
"Well, now that Duffy has relinquished his "King Bonehead" crown I see we have an heir to the throne!"
this comment is gold
Lol
Thanks for posting this! I came her to say the same, plus that "Vor v Zakone" is not the name of a specific clan or brotherhood, or a catch-all term for a type of criminal organization, it is a title that a high-ranking criminal of the type referred to by Bulletdude can have.
If a reader is interested in the tattoos themselves, the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volumes I-3 is the place to start.
This dude is one of the best....
We need Eastern Promises 2
No. A one and done deal is all that's needed. And that's what makes it so special. It was a one and done deal.
Viggo is such a brilliant guy. Top man :) lmao at the "one foot doesn't even have respect for the other." It's really cute at how he laughs (kinda like The Joker?) and then abruptedly stops... yeah Viggo, I think you're the only one who finds it really funny ;)
He's an interesting guy. Great work on the Russian-related research.
E Fayerman Yeah, prior to watching this, I've always kind of been aware of the tattoo 'system' in prisons (is it only Russia or other eastern-European countries?), but I've never really known the intensity to it and the symbolism. It really is quite incredible, like quite scary almost.
It's pretty much common among gangster traditions worldwide. Like the Yakuza and the Mexican gangs. I think the Russian version is much more specific and coded.
hahaha yeah pretty much.. he is my favourite villain, i'm a DC fan ;) i think you're probably an expert on fictional characters, but i think you need to calm down honey. :* x
Naw, made me laugh when I first read about it -- that was before I saw this featurette.
Great actor. So underrated 👍
aragon marked for life
Amazing movie, Viggo really is a great character actor..
”This could be a little bigger”. Yes, they surely made it bigger.
This is one of Viggo's finest films.
this picture is excellent in every way. hate everybody who hates this
This was a great movie remember watching it
This is such a great movie.
I really wish Viggo and Steven Knight work together again in a movie. Knight directed Locke starring Tom Hardy, which is one of my favorite movies of all time, and he also created Peaky Blinders.
Really liked this movie
one would notice, he has a real tattoo on his left arm, from lord of the rings
lol, no he does not.
but he does?
Yes he does, they all do. Every actor in the fellow ship got a tattoo of the elven word for Nine.
angrycaveman
In prison terms it means he killed a bunch of orcs, goblins and cave trolls, scared off some wraiths, chopped the head off a major dark ops figurehead, summoned an army of the undead and broke his big toe on an Uruk Hai helmet.
whynottalklikeapirat Haha I was going write something that daft
The tattoos aren't that important anymore in the criminal world. The Vors are not necessarily ''the Russian Mafia''. The police are, the FSB, the Avoriets, businessmen, oligarchs, they all are. The traditional days of organized prison gangs are long gone.
Yeah, tattoos used to be a symbol or ranking for most part of the world. But nowadays most interviews claimes that you can get whatever tattoos you want
@@91010186 Not in a Russian prison
Bare in mind this was released in 2007 and filmed before that
Most of the russian tattoos are out of practice since they became popular with the banditi in the ussr. Now most of those same banditi are all dead alongside the ussr. With it they took the system that created and upheld the weight of these tattoos. If you see anyone with these tattoos and they look under the age of 45 then they’re faking it
My dad was in the Navy. He had 'Do Not' on the sole of his left foot, and 'Disturb' on his right. Died 11yrs ago.
Amazing movie...perfect Viggo...just great job!
David Cronenberg is a freak in the most good way. Great movies!
Viggo's voice is to sound what pretzels and chocolate are to taste.
Excellent movie.
Gorgeous ♍ loved Virgo since lord of the rings such a precious talent
Still a truly unique, amazing film
Viggo Mortensen is such an awesome actor. One of my Top 3 favorites.
On the death tattoo it's "I'm here, I wait." And those accents, my sides...
One foot doesn't even have respect for the other, that is hilarious!
A timeless classic for a reason/
From what I've read mafia prison tattoos have a long history and they used to incorporate Communist symbols and imagery rather than religious imagery. The reason why is because some prison guards refused to touch a symbol of the Soviet Part like a picture of Marx or Lenin so the criminals would cover themselves in those sorts of images in order to avoid beatings.
+112steinway both exist and also nazi symbols and animal tatoo
Nop they usually use russian orthodox church symbols, virgin mary and baby jesus type thing
They use both actually, the communist propaganda was used when the Vor were forced to operate under the iron fist of Stalin. It was illegal to destroy an emulation of a communist leader's likeness or a communist symbol/phrase. This resulted in the Russian Mafia adopting tattoos that had the likeness of Lenin, Stalin, Marx, the Hammer and Sickle, the communist star, among other things in order to avoid certain punishments.
The Religious symbols came about in the late 70s, and have stuck to there place as the de facto style of Russian Mafia tattoos, but we still see renditions of the old versions, occasionally.
I think The Witcher 3 took inspiration from the steam room fight scene. Viggo would have made a great Geralt, he definitely had the swordsmanship for the role.
Vincent Cassel was also great in it 😎👍🏻
Loved this movie.
Remember seeing the movie in the cinema, been trying to find the name for years. Finally found it.
I thought the story was going to end with Viggo having all his tattoos removed with a knife. That really would have proven that they were authentic.
Haha, “you do not deserve.”
The couple of books on Russian Prison tattoos were often on display in the display window at Moe's Books on Telegraph Ave.
I liked the movie, big Viggo fan, and thanks for sharing this video..
love his last story about the couple believing his costume. typical viggo-moment in my opinion, like the sword waving incident which he talks about on the bonus dvds from lotr :-]
Cronenberg is just intellectual person, who asks slavs about what it is like to be a slav. Use your brain and logic, get good results.
Кристина Вавилова 1612. Poland takes Moscow.
@@awfullyawful 1612 poles get kicked out from Moscow.
mixaporusski oh. Thx!
Great movie
my friend has that same tattoo, "Where are you going, and why do you care"" but its in two different languages.
I love him in so many movies, History of violence, 90s movie where he is the unstable brother of a cop.
"The Indian Runner" (1991)
It reminded me - "we all have our own laws, Vanya. You have the laws of the state, I have the law of thieves" (Red Heat) and "You see, son, all people should live by general concepts ... (pausing from shortness of breath) ... and the Baron often violated them, and now he wants to jump off altogether - it's not right ... For this you have to answer, really, the boys? At least for the sake of making it difficult for others." (By the name of Baron))))
The naked fight - Damn
4:43 symbolisim I believe the word your'e looking for is symbolism
It's a complicated system. There are different tattoos for different crimes. I think a skull signifies that you've killed someone, for instance. Wikipedia has a page on criminal tattoos. Interesting stuff!
Teardrops under they eye.
It's fascinating for me to know that both Russian-mafia and Yakuza use tattoos in their organizations.
Aaah, but do they use them to signal something about them-self's or just for showoff?
Asian organizations are the oldest in the world. To the point that sislcian mob took after there structure.
Viggo is such a badass.
grate actor ! amazing movie,
"You're not trusted unless you have these tattoos which can show who you are and what you are"
Before watching the entire thing I was gonna call BS on this, cause they all just seem to have some saints, the Kremlin, stars and a cross.
But now I understand that these all indicate certain types of crimes.
@2:23 "...it's not just that it's david Cronenberg and he's going to make a weird scene..." later on has to fight butt-naked in a bathhouse so David can fantasize about him.
Lol
It's crazy to think that his character had done all those things in his life, and had been working undercover for that long to accomplish the goal of putting a snitch in the mob.
excellent movie. also history of violence. viggo is a fantastic actor.
Amazing!
In Denmark, a claccis tat to get is one for has Hund(Dog) and the other says Kat(Cat). Means you move alot or are restless. One foor allways chases the other
Viggo is an incredible actor. But for me he will forever be Aragorn!
Actually, yes, it is David Cronenberg and he is going to make a weird scene. AND I LOVE IT
I love how this guy is explaining how a fake tattoo works when they sell them in quarter machines to children
Love it that Steiger is invoked at 4:48. "These are not tattoos! They are skiinnn illustratshuns!!
Swear words like “fuck all of you”, “fuck you” etc. Are not allowed on a body. In Russian prisons people never swear to each other they use other words to describe something bad or something good. If you swear to other prisoner he has permission to punish you that’s the rules because he is right. Sometimes they just cut you tongue if you swear.
omg,best american role of russian,srsly
Mad Russian hes ddanish
+Mad Russian He is not American, he is Scandinavian hahahahaha...
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His dad is Danish and Viggo has lived in Denmark for a while when he was a kid but he's still American though.
Spent some years in Argentina, learned the Spanish language.
In Soviet Russia, tatoo wears YOU.
how id miss this movie looks good
a bulldog with boxing gloves means you have an asbo
The domes actually don’t represent 3 different prison sentences but they represent the number of years spent in prison,the number of domes is the number of years you were in prison.