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Night Watch is a bizarre action/sci-fi movie from Russia, of all places. Kind of a mix-up of The Matrix, Underworld and Blade, it's got production values to rival the biggest new Hollywood releases, and was a phenomenal success in its home country, as well as a kind of sleeper hit elsewhere.
Its ... Read review
For centuries, the battling forces of light and darkness have kept an uneasy truce. The ... more
undercover members of the NIght Watch have formed a supernatural police force, protecting the world against the Dark Ones - the vampires, witches, shape-shifters an...
All that stands between light and darkness is the Night Watch... Embrace the day. Fear ... more
the night. With a centuries old truce beginning to break down the forces of light and darkness come to do battle in modern day Moscow... Based on the first of Ser...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
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own rough tough past without even the clothes he was standing up in when the lightning struck. Living in the past is hard. Dying in the past is incredibly easy. But he must survive because he has a job to do. He must track down a murderer teach his younger self how to be a good copper and change the outcome of a bloody rebellion. There's a problem: if he wins he's got no wife no child no future. A Discworld Tale of One City with a full chorus of street urchins ladies of negotiable affection rebels secret policemen and other children of the revolution. Truth Justice Freedom And a Hard-boiled Egg
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Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Advantages: Excellent dark visual style, funky subtitles! Disadvantages: A bit confusing and unbelievable
...the DVD.
Night Watch is a bizarre action/sci-fi movie from Russia, of all places. Kind of a mix-up of The Matrix, Underworld and Blade, it's got production values to rival the biggest new Hollywood releases, and was a phenomenal success in its home country, as well as a kind of sleeper hit elsewhere.
Its central story tells of an ancient war between the forces of good and evil. On one side we have the Night Watch, who ... ...Anton, is part of the Night Watch. The film starts with his discovery that he is an Other, complete with a special gift and a taste for blood (it seems all these Others drink blood - I'm presuming that means they're vampires). It then moves on 12 years to present day Moscow, and he is paired up with a woman called Olga, who occasionally turns into an owl, in order to fight this woman from the Day Watch, or something.
Night Watch is a bizarre action/sci-fi movie from Russia, of all places. Kind of a mix-up of The Matrix, Underworld and Blade, it's got production values to rival the biggest new Hollywood releases, and was a phenomenal success in its home country, as well as a kind of sleeper hit elsewhere.
Its central story tells of an ancient war between the forces of good and evil. On one side we have the Night Watch, who protect the light in the world, and on the other is the Day Watch, who fight for darkness (surely it should be the other way round, I thought). Both armies are made up of special beings called Others, who can move into a kind of mystical parallel world, called The Gloom.
Oh, and according to an ancient prophecy, one day, an important Other will be born who has the opportunity to decide which side he takes, and whichever choice he makes will tip the world in that side's favour.
Our protagonist, Anton, is part of the Night Watch. The film starts with his discovery that he is an Other, complete with a special gift and a taste for blood (it seems all these Others drink blood - I'm presuming that means they're vampires). It then moves on 12 years to present day Moscow, and he is paired up with a woman called Olga, who occasionally turns into an owl, in order to fight this woman from the Day Watch, or something.
I'm going to stop the plot summary there, because even I'm getting confused. Night Watch doesn't make much sense. I know it's a fantasy film, it can take a few liberties in the realism department, but still… it's not that it's overly confusing; you can tell what's going on at all times, it's just that's it's all a bit wacky.
But hey, it's an action/sci-fi film, so what it lacks in story it more than makes up for in style. Night Watch is one of the best-looking films I've seen for ages. It doesn't boast spectacular CGI set-pieces, and apparently it was done on a very modest budget (only about $5 million), but it contains a whole load of camera trickery, which in many ways is more interesting than CGI.
Particularly in the first fifteen minutes of the film - the scene with the witch lady and the one where the Others are telling him about who they are - these contain lots of excellent editing and weird, hallucinogenic images blending into each other. It's quite a strange experience.
Also, I must make a point about the subtitles. Normally, subtitles just sit at the bottom in white writing, telling you what is being said. In Night Watch, they are actually part of the film - for a start they appear in different colours, mostly a blood red for particular emphasis. They also sometimes die away away in the style of a gas diffusing; gradually fade in and out as people say the words, and even appear all over the screen like in a comic strip. I suppose this was specially done for the audience abroad, which shows they've put a lot of effort into it.
However, there are times when the visual style does become… well, too stylish. There are a couple of Lord of the Rings-style battle sequences, and as is the growing trend these days, they are cut and edited so quickly that it is hard to tell what's going on. Instead of adding to the excitement, when you can't see what it is each shot before they take it away again, it actually loses your attention.
I thought the tone of the film was just right - it's quite dense and meaty, but it's not too philosophical in the style of Matrix Reloaded, and it's stopped from becoming a drag by the frequent, high-octane action scenes. To be fair, there's hardly any humour or light relief, but it struck a good balance between serious and silly.
It's also worth pointing out that Night Watch is just the first part of a trilogy. The second film, Day Watch, has been released already (I think) and the third film, called Dusk Watch (now that's just lame - what's next? Springwatch?) should be out sometime in the next two years. I read that because they're becoming more Hollywood-style and being financed by Fox Studios, the third film is going to be filmed in English and set in America! I hope this is just speculation!
Anyway, because it's the first part in a trilogy, although the main plot of the film is finished off, there's one major plot strand which is left to be continued. I thought this was done well - making it enjoyable both as part of a larger story and as a standalone film.
Overall, I would recommend Night Watch, although it's obviously going to appeal to a fairly small audience. Its gory violence and undeniable cool-ness makes it great for young persons, but the fact it's in Russian with subtitles will put some people off (but don't let them - as I said earlier, they're cool in their own right!)
If you liked any of the three films I mentioned at the start, you should like Night Watch! Ignore the weird plot and the silliness, and it's an action movie that's fresh, exciting and surprisingly thoughtful. ____________________________________________________________ _______
Nightwatch is available from www.dvd.co.uk for £6.95 for the one-disc edition, or you can get it for £13.49 for the double-disc set, from www.bensonsworld.co.uk.
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring:
Anton … Konstantin Khabensky Olga … Galina Tyunina Geser … Vladimir Menshov Svetlana … Mariya Poroshina
Running time: 114 minutes
Classification: 15 (strong violence, disturbing images and language)
Advantages: great fantasy/action film, originality shines through Disadvantages: disappointing to those that have read the books
...his ex's unborn child, the Night Watch, the protectors of the Light (with their opposite numbers the Day Watch being protectors of the Dark), burst in on the scene. The film then comes up to date with the present day, some 12 years later, and Anton has joined the Night Watch and is investigating some Dark vampires that are tracking an innocent young boy. Within the boundaries of the Truce between the Light and Dark killing another 'Other' is prohibited, ... ...can Anton save the young innocent without breaking the Truce and risking his Watch being severely reprimanded?
The film leads on to the main theme that runs throughout the films and the books alike, and that is the 'prophecy'. It tells of a Great Other who will break the equilibrium the Truce holds over the Watches, and so will tip the balance of power one side or the other, depending on which side they happen to choose. And when the largest Vortex ...
Darko3B 01.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night Watch (DVD)
Advantages: Stylish, dark fantasy thriller. Disadvantages: Subtitled, first part of a trilogy!
...it anyway.
Review.
Night Watch, or Nochnoy Dozor, a Russian fantasy thriller, burrows into you, nestling inside you as you watch rapt with attention. Your eyes not wanting to leave the screen as you ponder every fact you can glean about what is occurring in front of you.
Starting with a battle scene in 1342 between The Warriors of Light and The Warriors of Darkness that leads to a stalemate, and an agreement, Night Watch creates a world where ... ...forces of Good and The Night Watch policing the forces of Evil each awaiting the arrival of the great other, the one prophesised to break the stalemate and bring victory to whichever side they decide to join, and making sure that neither side breaks the agreement and keeps the status quo.
Jumping forward to a modern day Russia that is a dark, dreary place, the only light seemingly coming from failing streetlights and lamps, we see a nerdy looking ...
Ailran 16.10.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night Watch (DVD)
Advantages: Looks fantastic and brimming with ideas. Disadvantages: So much going on it is hard to keep up....
NIGHT WATCH is a much anticipated, dark, and dizzyingly stylised fantasy film from Russia. It tells of how there was once a great war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. Once they discovered they were equally matched, both sides formed a truce and to this day still coexist somewhat peacefully in the world. To make sure the balance would not be broken the forces of light set up the Night Watch, a group of supernatural powered beings, ... ...of line with their terms. NIGHT WATCH is actually the first part of a trilogy from director Timur Bekmambetov and focuses mainly of the clique of the title, and their battle to keep the dark at bay.
Not that NIGHT WATCH actually has time to focus, this is a frantically paced and multi-layered tale that never even really takes time explain many of the manic visuals it throws at the audience on a regular basis. By the films conclusion you will no ...
moxon123 25.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night Watch (DVD)
...hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Night Watch (aka Nochnoy Dozor) is a fantastic low budget depiction of the classic ancient battle between Good and Evil. Most films that choose to use the Good vs Evil theme usually follow a predictable story ending with Good defeating Evil victorious, but Night Watch leaves you tense with anticipation as the credits roll and you find yourself eager for the next film as the fate of the two sides is left hanging in the ... ...law enforcements' known as the Night Watch (Good), who roam the streets of present day Moscow in order to control and contain the evil that threatens to break the ancient truce. There is also the Day Watch (Evil), who follow the same rules of the truce as the Night Watch, but work to contain the acts of the Night Watch. However, this first film focuses on the NIght Watch and the protagonist of the Night Watch, named Anton. The truce also allows new ...
prettylittleroswellian 10.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night Watch (DVD)
Advantages: A great del of potential Disadvantages: Some ropey CGI and a lack of emotional depth
...how the world of the Night Watch works and how one decision can inform another. The aesthetic of cool is ripped-off wholesale from "The Matrix", making the most of long coats and sunglasses, but somewhat undermined by the Russian penchant for woolly pullies. Aside from the smorgasbord of styles and pilfered stylistic tics, what really marks this out as a contemporary film is the nosebleed editing. But I guess if you don't dwell on things for too ... ...style or plotting. Even the American taste for referencing popular culture appears, courtesy of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reruns. There are some aspects of the film that feel more original, including the assistant Anton acquires who turns from an owl into a woman. Stylistically, there are intriguing moments where flickbook animation and computer games are used for exposition. It is an ambitious project and one that coasts along on sheer enthusiasm ...
afy9mab 03.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Night Watch (DVD)
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Just watched this last night on DVD and, no, I'm not going to say I want my life back, neither that it is a masterpiece. The acting is quite good and it's maybe the best thing about the movie, although the charachters were a bit underwritten.
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In this dark apocalyptic tale of a perpetual battle between light and dark, light being the human race and dark being a race of monsters, this film is the first of three in a trilogy. Russian director Timbor Bekmambetov adapts NIGHT WATCH from the series of sci-fi novels by Sergei Lukyanenko.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT, TLA RELEASING; FUSION MEDIA SALES
Twisted, mysterious, bold and compelling.. Open your mind and it'll blow you away (Empire, )
The year's most exhilarating horror (Mail On Sunday, )
Dazzling, crazy and scary (Sunday Mirror, )
Mind-blowing...spectacular, imaginative and memorable... set to become a massive cult hit (The People, )
It's brilliant... a supercharged cinematic Molotov cocktail... a true original (Total Film, )
DVD Description
NIGHT WATCH is an old-fashioned good vs. evil parable that relies on some thoroughly modern special effects to ensnare its audience. Set in present-day Moscow, the movie begins with a quick skip back through the centuries to inform us how a delicate truce was struck between the forces of Light and Dark. These forces still exist in Moscow, with both sides keeping a close eye on each other as they attempt to disguise themselves from the earth's mere mortals. NIGHT WATCH's central character is Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky), who is defined as an 'Other' by the legions of Light and Dark. Anton and his cohorts live as vampires, and await the arrival of a virgin who will announce the resumption of hostilities between the forces of Light and Dark; as the film progresses, it becomes apparent that an epic battle is just around the corner. One of the biggest films of all time in its native Russia, director Timur Bekmambetov’s NIGHT WATCH positions itself somewhere in between THE MATRIX and BLADE in the pantheon of CGI-fueled sci-fi flicks. Although the plot is mind-boggling and occasionally verges on the incomprehensible, Bekmambetov is presumably using this first part of the trilogy to lure viewers into his wild cinematic world. Impressively, Bekmambetov's film was shot on a tiny budget, but it belies its meager origins. Even the English subtitles are integrated into several scenes, with words zipping across the screen and melting into the action as a heavy-metal soundtrack thumps away. Knowing he is set to film two sequels, Bekmambetov leaves his audience hanging as NIGHT WATCH nears its climax, with his second installment (DAY WATCH) promising further FX-laden feuding and--in an intriguing twist--an English-language climax to the trilogy with DUSK WATCH.
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