There is exceptional attention to framing in most of the scenes but it is the use of light that constantly caught my attention. There is lighting conspicuously meant to draw your attention to one particular part of the scene, and lighting that does it more subtly. The lighting conveys the right mood without the intention of the lighting being dreadfully obvious.

David Cronenberg does not shy away from graphic violence. Scene after scene of realistic, lip biting, stomach turning violence and brutality pepper the movie and stun the audience. In the first few minutes there is a disturbing scene that made all of the people in the theater lurch to the back of their seat with their hands over their eyes, almost. I, and everyone else around me, couldn't stop watching. It is a movie about the mob and about its dangers. To shy away from the graphic representation is to glorify the mob, not encourage us to fear it.

Viggo Mortensen's performance as Nikolai is tremendous. Mortensen finds the fine line to walk between the two sides of the enigmatic man whose motives and influences are never clear to the audience and maybe even him. His character is both soft and fierce. He has sexuality that oozes in ambiguous directions. This monstrous man has a redemptive tenderness. Mortensen's performance may be lost on the squeamish but those who can stomach the violence will be rewarded with an exceptional performance.

Cronenberg's graphic vision of a complex story is an exceptional cinematic accomplishment. This movie will leave you perplexed, with your stomach turned over and having endless numbers of things to talk over with the people who sat next to you in the theater.