Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) DVD Review (Timur Bekmambetov) Empire Movies

NIGHT WATCH (NOCHNOI DOZOR) DVD REVIEW

Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor)
(Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment)

The Movie

The Extras

Reviewed by

8/10

6/10

Liam

I have to admit that from the first time I heard about Night Watch I was intrigued. I can't really explain why, but the movie just caught my eye. It's a vampire movie. It's a horror movie. And it's in Russian. How cool is that?

The movie picks up with an age-old war between the "light" and "dark" others - humans with more-than-human abilities (ie. witches and sorcerers). They have been at war forever, but one day an uneasy peace is reached. The "light" others will guard the night and the "dark" others will guard the day. A few hundred years later, we meet Anton (Konstantin Khabensky). He goes to see this lady who performs black magic. His wife has left him for another man and he seeks her help. Things get complicated when Anton learns that his girlfriend is pregnant - but not with his child. She offers to perform some magic to force her to miscarry, if Anton agrees to accept responsibility for the sin. Since he doesn't really take her all that seriously, he accepts and in doing so sets into motion the beginning of the end of the truce between the "light" and "dark" others. We pick up again a few years later as Anton is now part of the "Night Watch" and that's pretty much how the story begins. What happens next? You're going to have to find out for yourself.

Like I said, I was looking forward to this movie. I didn't really know too much beyond the basic plot outline and I found that really helped with how much I enjoyed this movie. That's also why I'm not revealing too much beyond the opening 10 minutes. You're better off going in not being bogged down by the details. Yeah, the movie looks a little "Hollywood" but at the same time it isn't your typical "Hollywood" movie. No big stars, some decent effects and, most importantly, a somewhat original story.

Special features on this DVD include an audio commentary by director Timur Bekmambetov, a subtitled commentary by novelist Sergei Lukyanenko (upon whose novel the movie is based), an extended ending, some trailers and finally a sneak peek at the upcoming "Night Watch" sequels (the movie is the first part of a planned trilogy).

What worries me about a movie like Night Watch is that your average moviegoer would pass it over based simply on the fact that it's a foreign language film. But let me say - this isn't your average foreign language movie. This is an action-packed feast for your eyes and to write it off as anything less would be wrong. Give this movie a chance. As the credits roll, I can pretty much promise you'll be thirsting for the sequel.

Features
Extended Ending with Optional Commentary by Co-Writer/Director Timur Bekmambetov
Subtitled Commentary by Renowned Novelist Sergei Lukyanenko
A Sneak Peek at the Upcoming Night Watch Sequels

Video
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio
English 5.1 Dolby Surround
Spanish Dolby Surroun
Russian 5.1 Dolby Surround
French Dolby Surround

Subtitles
English
Spanish
French
Closed-Captioned

Release Date
June 20, 2006

Rating
R/14A

Length
114 mins.

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