In a recent interview with BBC film critic Mark Kermode, David Cronenberg sited the documentary The Mark of Cain as one of the resources he and star Viggo Mortensen used to prepare for their latest film, Eastern Promises.

Eastern Promises delves into the world of the Russian mafia in London and the honour codes and tattoo culture that rules their world. Critically acclaimed, Eastern Promises opens nationally today.

The Mark of Cain goes inside Russia's maximum security prisons to interview the inmates about what their tattoos mean, how they get them, and the changing nature of Russia's criminal world that is seeing the demise of the old honour codes.

To listen to the fascinating interview with David Cronenberg download the MP3 here. You can subscribe to Mark Kermode's film podcast at the BBC website here.