Night Watch
by Timur Bekmambetov
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Galina Tyunina, Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Poroshina, Valeri Zolotukhin, Vladimir MenshovDirector: Timur Bekmambetov
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); English (Dubbed); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Night Watch
Movie Review: Vampyres, Witches and Dark Urban Horror in Moscow
Summary: 5 Stars
Based off a successful series of books (which I have, unfortunately, yet to read), Night Watch is part of a planned triology of movies detailing the struggles of The Others - supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, witches and stranger creatures that lurk, hidden amongst the mortal populace. Long ago, the armies of the Dark Others (who would exalt in their powers and enslave humanity) and the Light Others (who sought to protect humanity) fought each other to a standstill. On that day, they agreed to an ancient pact whereby the two forces would police each other. Set in modern day Moscow, this movie (and the sequel Day Watch) successful capture the feel of urban Russia.
The story revolves around Anton, an alcoholic Light Other who serves on the 'Night Watch' (policing the Dark Others). While on the trail of a pair of vampires, Anton runs across a woman who is surrounded by a dark vortex, which may affect the entire world! Behind the scenes, the action is overshadowed by the figures of Gesser (leader of the Light Others) and Zavulon (ruler of the Dark Others). The story is quite richly detailed and elaborate (hey, it IS Russian after all) and the action goes by very quickly, but you will get sucked into the plot. Despite the supernatural elements, and the brilliant special effects, these are actually fairly understated. Nonetheless, this is one of the most brilliant applications of the supernatural that I've ever seen in a film.
For those who want to see a new direction in Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy, I strongly recommend checking this film out, along with it's sequel 'Day Watch' and the forthcoming 'Twilight Watch.' Especially if you are a fan of Russian/Eastern European film-making. I only wish more American film-makers would take a cue from Moscow and make movies this good! It is phenomenal, even breath-taking! Loved it!
Summary of Night Watch
Night Watch is that rare film that--like The Matrix--is not only visually dazzling but creates an intriguing, seductive, and thrilling alternative world. A young man named Anton, after dabbling in black magic to bring back the wife who left him, discovers that the world is populated by fantastical Others (vampires, shape-shifters, witches, and more) who have chosen sides--Light or Dark--in an epic battle. A truce has been declared; both sides watch the other to ensure the truce is maintained. But a prophecy has predicted that a powerful Other will tilt the balance, and Anton--who is himself an Other--finds himself crucial to the prophecy's fulfillment. There's no question that Night Watch has weaknesses. Numerous plot holes get glossed over by pell-mell pacing, the visual conception of the apocalyptic battle between Light and Dark is curiously pedestrian (a bunch of knights fighting a bunch of guys in fur with swords--what happened to their various powers?), and more--but, much like similar problems with The Matrix, it doesn't matter.The alternative world Night Watch presents is so rich with possibilities that it takes on a life of its own, both as an imaginative universe and as a vivid metaphor for the moral complexities of our own lives--for example, though the forces of Light claim to be good, their often brutal actions call their virtue into question, and the forces of Dark make some compelling moral arguments on the topic. The movie is so overstuffed with ideas that many don't get fleshed out, but that only contributes to the sense of vitality and unexplored dimensions. Even the subtitles are used creatively. The impending sequels (this is the first film of a trilogy) may--like The Matrix--take all the stimulating possibilities Night Watch raises and drag them into the toilet, but for the moment, this is the sort of electric excitement that blockbuster movies promise but so rarely deliver. --Bret Fetzer
Among normal humans live the "Others" possessing various supernatural powers. They are divided up into the forces of light and the forces of the dark, who signed a truce several centuries ago to end a devastating battle. Ever since, the forces of light govern the day while the night belongs to their dark opponents. In modern day, the dark Others actually roam the night as vampires while a "Night Watch" of light forces, among them Anton, try to control them and limit their outrage.
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