Night Watch: A Very Watchable, Enjoyable Film

This Russian made action-thriller, released in 2006, was a monstrously huge hit in its homeland. The first in a series of three, Nochnoy Dozor, as it was originally titled, brought in more money than any other Russian film. In America, its limited release had somewhat dampened its financial prospects.

In 1342, two powerful vampire factions, the Warriors of Light and the Warriors of Darkness, engage in a pitched battle of such violence and destruction that their leaders forge a truce to preserve the species. Each side creates a team to ensure the other side follows the rules of the truce. These enforcement teams are made up of "Others", mortals with special powers, shape-shifters and vampires. The Warriors of Light follow the path of good and as such, create the Night Watch to keep the peace and protect the innocent during the hours of darkness. The Warrior of Darkness, on the other hand, are evil and form the Day Watch to keep an eye on their enemies and wreak as much havoc during the day as they can.

Fast-forwarding to the year 1992, the movie is set in Moscow and follows the actions of Anton Gorodensky, played by Konstantin Khabensky. Anton is worried that his girlfriend is pregnant with another man's child so he seeks the help of a witch to make her return. It's during this encounter that he discovers that he is an Other, as well as setting into motion a series of unpleasant and far-reaching events.

Moving forward again, this time to present-day Moscow, we find Anton is now a full-time Other on the Night Watch. On one of his patrols, he encounters a young boy, named Yegor, being attacked by a vampire. In his effort to save the boy, Anton kills his attacker. As Anton returns home, he comes across Svetlana, played by Maria Poroshina, who seems to be a powerful instrument of evil. Shortly after this, we learn of an ancient prophecy predicting the arrival of an ultra-powerful Other, who would tip the balance of power between the rival vampire factions. Could Svetlana or Yegor somehow be a part of this cataclysmic event?

Anton and his partner, Olga (who has her own interesting past), are now tasked with protecting Yegor, from the powers of darkness. Yegor, it seems, just might be the mythical Great One, savior of the light. Svetlana, we learn, is actually the Cursed Virgin and she's out butchering the hapless citizen of the city. The Night Watch must strive to protect everyone while trying to stem the tide of an ensuing bloodbath.

Director Timur Bekmambetov does a superb job of showing us the gritty realism of modern-day Moscow. Moods are dark and somber and everyday events seem somehow menacing. Even our protagonists seem to barely keep their heads above water. They work in low paying, dead-end jobs and seem pretty worn around the edges. Our hero, Anton, is somewhat scruffy and rumpled. This only serves to add to the character of the movie instead of detract from it.

Bekmambetov manages to take a paltry 4 million dollar budget and make it look spectacular. Low-cost special effects and CGI are coupled with his superb camera skills to great effect. Despite its grimness, this film still manages to be both terrifying at times and occasionally humorous. Although some of the dialogue is a bit corny or pretentious at times, the actors are so convincing that it only serves to draw us in more. The thrash metal soundtrack might be a little distracting at times but seems to suit the film more often than not. The plot rambles along at times and is riddled with holes, but all in all, this film deserves many of the accolades it has received

This first in a series of three films is rated R and runs 1 hour and 22 minutes. The next two films, Day Watch and Dusk Watch, will continue where this one leaves of. If Night Watch is any indication of the quality of these follow-ups, Bekmambetov will have a hit series on his hands that could equal Lord of the Rings in revenue earned. This film is done in Russian and English with English subtitles. Although I usually find Russian films a little over-dramatic, depressing and hard to follow, I found Night Watch to be very watchable and enjoyable. I recommend this film.