Gangster as tragic hero: Eastern Promises

The last scene in this film is an example of the gangster as tragic hero. Steven Jay Schneider says of these remaining moments:

Eastern Promises ends with Nikolai as a patriarch sitting in the Mafia restaurant. He is victorious, but also alone – emotionally abandoned and physically isolated. The contemplative resignation of the end reinstates ambiguity into a story that only seconds before seemed to close happily.

This statement helps to confirm the idea that no matter how much the modern gangster surrounds himself with others, be that his blood family or his Mafia family, ultimately he ends up alone.
In this closing scene, we see Anna taking care of the deceased Tatiana’s baby. This is uplifting as we see that the baby will now be cared for properly, and will be able to lead the life that her young mother had desired for herself. As Anna and the baby sit playing together, Howard Shore’s score begins to play, starting with a solo violin. This immediately changes the film to a much more sombre tone, and this is confirmed when a voiceover begins of Tatiana reading an excerpt from her diary. She says:

"My name is Tatiana. My father died in the mines in my village, so he was already buried when he died. We were all buried there, buried under the soil of Russia. That is why I left, to find a better life."

As this voiceover is being read, the camera cuts to Nikolai sitting alone at a table in the Mafia owned restaurant. He sits at a table big enough to sit many people, and repeatedly throws his watch into the air and catches it, emphasising the loneliness he now feels. The lighting in the restaurant is very dark, and Nikolai’s facial expression highlights the heavy and grave burden that now rests on his shoulders. The words that are spoken in the voiceover are a stark contrast to the image shown. We are told throughout the film of how the Russians have come to London to seek a happier life, but it is clear that Nikolai’s new status as boss is not going to give him this.