| Product: |
Night Watch (DVD) |
| Date: |
06/01/08 (56 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Compelling, scary, something different, surreal
Disadvantages: confusing, surreal.
~~Introduction~~
This is the second time I've written all this out, since the first time Firefox crashed on me just as I was writing the conclusion. Teach me to write reviews online right away instead of doing them in Word first ... anyway.
I was given this film by my cousin for Christmas, who often gives me unusual films that have been out for a while now. This Russian horror film, Nochnoi Dozor in Russian, came out in 2004. It concerns the eternal conflict between Light Others and Dark Others, and the uneasy truce intended to keep the peace so that the rest of us can live in peace.
~~Plot~~
The film starts way back before the dawn of time, where a narrator tells us of the two conflicting forces of Light Others and Dark Others. The narrator says how one day they came to meet on a bridge and neither side would stand aside, which results in a large-scale fight scene, with lots of blood. Finally the good leader realises that the two sides will always be equally matched, and so makes a truce. Neither side will fight the other. To ensure that this is the case, the Night Watch and the Day Watch will be created. The Night Watch to watch over the Dark Others, and the Day Watch to watch over the Light Others.
Next the film jumps to a few years before the present day. We see a young man (Anton) coming to see a "witch" in a sleazy apartment in Moscow. He wants her help in trying to get his ex to come back to him, since she has left him for another man. The witch tells him that she is going to have the other man's baby, and that unless she miscarries, then she will not come back. The witch will make this happen if Anton accepts full responsibility for doing this. He agrees, and she starts chanting, and we see Anton's ex collapse in pain. Then two men burst in and restrain the witch, followed by a woman. Anton is knocked unconscious accidentally and only wakes up when the three new arrivals are sitting around the table. They are surprised that he can see them, and tell him that he is an "Other" - someone with special powers, who can travel into the Gloom, the world of Darkness. All Others must choose whether they join the Light forces or the Dark forces...
The film jumps in time again, to 12 years after those events. A boy jumps out of a swimming pool with a bloody nose, and Anton, now a fully fledged Night Watch member, has to look after him, since he is the target of two vampires. Anton must find the boy, and then arrest the vampires. However, while on the underground after the boy, he spots a woman who has been cursed. Everything she comes into contact with will have bad luck, unless the curse is lifted or the woman killed. What's more, the coming of this cursed woman heralds the coming of an Other who will end the battle between the Light and the Dark forever. But everything depends on which side they choose.
The rest of the film concerns
a) the Night Watch trying to find out who cursed the woman and get the curse lifted to avert the coming of the all-powerful other and the end of the conflict (the Light Others don't want to risk that the all-powerful Other chooses the Dark side. As one of the quotes says : "It is easier for a man to destroy the Light within himself, than to destroy that Darkness all around him")
b) The small boy (Yegor), who is being stalked by a vampire. Anton must protect him, with the help of his partner, Olga.
~~Analysis~~
This film is worth watching just because it's one of the only big films to come out of Russia for...well, as long as I can remember. It also helps that it is gripping, interesting, and definitely something different.
They obviously thought about the setting a great deal in making this film; the depiction of Moscow it shows is very realistic, but at the same time is perfect for the horror scenes. An old boarded up house; an unhygienic meat market; Anton's cheap, run-down apartments. All could easily be part of Moscow in real life, but are also perfectly suited to this film.
The atmosphere is superb throughout as well; the fact that Anton and the Others are closely connected with the Gloom for some reason means that there are small mosquitoes buzzing around in the air wherever they go. No reason is given for this but it does make the film a little more creepy. Parts of the film definitely make you jump at times too, since vampires can become invisible at will, and you can only see them with a mirror.
All the characters in this film are very well played; from Anton, to the hungry vampires, to Yegor the little boy, there isn't a single weak link as far as casting is concerned. The two respective leaders of the Night Watch and the Day Watch are both excellent; Zavulon, the villain, is tired looking and menacing (his power is deadly), while Geser, the leader of the Night Watch, is healthy and serious, and has the ability to heal. Two of the Night Watch have a shapeshifting power, which is done well with special effects, an Anton's power is seeing the future.
The plot is decent, but not really anything that special. There are a couple of interesting twists, and the end of it leads on perfectly for the next film. The whole feel of the film, with its theme of a group of people with special powers who live among us but who we know thing about, is fairly reminiscent of the Matrix. The fact that all the Night Watch members wear dark glasses may have something to do with it as well.
This is by no means a faultless film, and there were two things that let it down somewhat. Firstly, there was the surrealism that is there right from the start. I suppose this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves the viewer unsure about what kind of a film this is supposed to be. I'd better describe what I mean by surrealism. In multiple scenes in the film, there are computer animations that make not all that much sense. For instance, when they're trying to revive someone, all the people suddenly turned into 3D outlines of themselves, made up of red dots. No explaination was given for this. Another strange thing was when the leader of the Night Watch decides to give Anton a partner, but instead of a normal person gives him a stuffed owl. It does turn out to be useful later, I won't ruin it for you by saying how.
The other fault was the inconsistancy and confusion regarding the truce. The rules that have been set out in this truce are never explained properly, and when one of the vampires starts talking about liscenses to bite people, it gets very confusing. They should have had a scene after the big battle at the beginning to explain everything in the truce.
One other thing that's not quite a complaint, but just an observation, is that they seem to have been obsessed by blood in the making of this film. It is everywhere; from the fight scene at the beginning, to a horribly gruesome one-on-one fight scene in the middle, to the part where Anton 'distracts' the gloom by cutting his arm, more blood is used than necessary. I don't particularly mind seeing blood onscreen, but for those who do, avoid this film.
I must say that the ending lacked finality, but I suppose this is the first film in a trilogy, so it's designed to lead on to the second film.
~~Information~~
Cast List of the Main Characters (if anyone's interested):
Konstantin Khabensky Anton Gorodetsky (main character)
Vladimir Menshov Geser (leader of the Night Watch)
Mariya Poroshina Svetlana (the cursed woman)
Galina Tyunina Olga, Anton's partner
Aleksei Chadov Kostya (Anton's young vampire neighbor)
Viktor Verzhbitsky Zavulon (leader of the Day Watch)
Dmitry Martynov Yegor (boy chased by vampires)
Released in 2004
Day Watch came out January 2006 in Russia, and over a year later in the rest of the world.
People may be interested to know that the director, Timur Bekmambetov, directed the film "Wanted", featuring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, which comes out in June this year.
~~DVD Special Features~~
I have the two-disc Special edition, which means they give you a disc full of rubbish and charge you extra. Anyway, here's the list:
- Deleted scenes with optional commentary
- Making of Night Watch featurette
- Characters, Story and Subtitles featurette
- Characters and Themes featurette
- Day Watch preview
- Night Watch Trilogy featurette
- Poster gallery
- Comic Book Still Gallery
- Director commentary
- Several episodes of something called Broken Saints, which seems to be an anime show.
~~Conclusion~~
If you're looking for something different, try this. Don't expect a masterpiece, just a decent horror thriller. I expect I will be looking out for Day Watch to find out what happens next, but it's not top of my list.
Summary: Doesn't quite add up, but worth seeing
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