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Movies / On DVD / Night Watch
Night Watch

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Night Watch (2005)

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Reviews Counted:123

Fresh:71

Rotten:52

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: This Russian horror/fantasy film pits darkness and light against each other using snazzy CGI visuals to create an extraordinary atmosphere of a dank, gloomy city wrestling with dread.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for strong violence, disturbing images and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:07-10-2005

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Vladimir Menshov, Konstantin Khabensky, Valery Zolotukhin, Maria Poroshina

Starring: Vladimir Menshov, Konstantin Khabensky, Valery Zolotukhin, Maria Poroshina, Galina Tunina, Victor Verzhbitsky

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Screenwriter: Sergei Lukianenko, Timur Bekmambetov, Laeta Kalogridis
Producer: Konstantin Ernst, Anatoly Maximov
Composer: Yuri Poteyenko
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

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Reviews for Night Watch

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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A highly promising curtain-raiser to an ambitious trilogy.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/04/06
Matthew Leyland
Matthew Leyland
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Twisted, mysterious, bold and compelling, this is a raging cyclone of a movie, sucking up elements from the likes of Blade and The Matrix and whirling them into something new.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Dan Jolin
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An ambitious, flawed and ultimately frustrating fantasy/horror movie from Russia.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Incredibly, the movie was made for just £2m but, thanks to the brilliant special effects, manages to be visually dazzling and totally gripping.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
10/20/05
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Ambitious Russian epic, with terrific special effects and cool characters, even if the plot gets a little confusing at times.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/08/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

A bracingly vivid sense of style and character ... bewildering, abrasive, jarring and surprisingly emotional.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/26/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

The punchy, nonstop visual effects crowd out coherent storytelling.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/20/09
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

A convoluted FX smear

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/30/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Night Watch is a completely synthetic yet thoroughly original movie.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Gary Susman
Gary Susman
Boston Phoenix

...better than most of our domestic product...

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
01/19/09
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

... director Timur Bekmambetov makes excellent use of CGI to portray the paranormal events but avoids the silly martial arts extravagance of the UNDERWORLD movies.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/04/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

If it all sounds silly, convoluted, and confusing, that’s because it is silly, convoluted, and confusing. It’s also a hell of a lot of fun.

Full Review Source: Baltimore City Paper | comment Comment
01/08/08
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Baltimore City Paper

This muddled mess about the forces of (what else?) dark and light can barely hold itself together long enough to rip-off far better science fiction movies.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

uses fantasy, horror and gobsmacking special effects to explore the greyer areas of contemporary life.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
08/02/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

For a good hour and change, the film is a big toy box that teases you out of the Gloom.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
07/07/07
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine

I liked it, and if your tastes run as occasionally goofy as my own, you probably will too.

Full Review Source: Mark Reviews Movies | comment Comment
06/07/07
Mark Dujsik
Mark Dujsik
Mark Reviews Movies

The entire production seems intent on creating a mood and trapping the audience in it until the very last frame is shown, and for a fantasy film, that's how it should be done.

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
12/30/06
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

The film is fascinating - albeit sluggish - until the final reel. At that point, the vampire-hunter hero makes a crucial decision at odds with everything we know about his character.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
10/09/06
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Intriguing enough to build hope that the trilogy's next two parts can make this a reverse Matrix saga: A series that becomes more clear and compelling as it goes forward.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/27/06
Todd Hertz
Todd Hertz
Christianity Today

The resulting concoction will likely baffle anyone who isn't already a fantasy/horror aficionado, but those viewers who enjoy one of these genres will get a kick out of the universe Bekmambetov has created here.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
07/13/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for Night Watch

June 17, 2008: Exclusive Interview: Angelina Jolie Talks Wanted
Though Angelina Jolie is soon expecting twins, we snagged a coveted exclusive video interview with the star on the eve of her turn as a sexy assassin in Timur Bekmambetov's... More...

April 24, 2008: Bekmambetov Says Dusk Watch Is On Hold Opens in new window
Holding your breath waiting for Dusk Watch, the planned sequel to Timur Bekmambetov's Night Watch and Day Watch? Well, don't. More...

March 05, 2008: Trailer Bulletin: Bending Bullets And More Angelina Jolie In The Second Wanted Trailer
RT's nabbed the exclusive new trailer for Wanted, Universal's high-octane assassin thriller starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy. And if you're a fan of the Russian... More...

September 14, 2007: Angelina Jolie's Wanted Leaps from Comic Books with a Hard R
Writer/directors Michael Brandt and Derek Haas had to go into production on Wanted before the comic book had even picked up steam. With only two issues published, the writers... More...

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