"Nochnoy Dozor" or "Night Watch" as it is called in America, is a dark horror/fantasy that has gained lots of publicity because of its status as Russias first blockbuster. This came both as a gift and as a curse as while many critics praised its stylish visuals, and its very original take on an otherwise clichéd plot, many other critics labeled its notorious Hollywood influence as a cheap attempt to imitate American action film-making. While there is some truth in both statements, "Night Watch" has more good than bad, and even when it is definitely a Hollywood-style action movie, it is at times better and more entertaining than most of what the American cinema has created in this decade.
Based on a series of very successful novels by Sergei Lukyanenko, "Nochnoy Dozor" is the beginning of the final battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. Unknown to humans, supernatural beings collectively named as "The Others" exist and take part in a war that has been going on since the beginning of time. However, a truce was declared centuries ago and now every Other must decide between the Light and the Darkness, and to keep the balance between them two special forces are created: the Day Watch and the Night Watch. Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky), our main character, is a member of the Night Watch; Light's special team to watch over the Others of the Darkness.
Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian director who so far had only directed small B-Movies in the U.S., returns home with a blast to give life to Lukyanenko's fantastic world in this first chapter of a trilogy that seems to be set to become a cult-classic. Bekmambetov's visual style is definitely influenced by Hollywood modern action/horror films, however, he manages to keep a balance between the special effects and the character development. This is what really sets "Nochnoy Dozor" apart from its American influences, Bekmambetov slowly builds up his characters and manages to make Lukyanenko's complex world understandable and very attractive.
It is probably this dedication to the plot what makes "Night Watch" a bit slow in some parts. As the movie is the initial chapter of a trilogy it focuses more on setting up the plot rather than on actual action and this may turn away people expecting non-stop action. Still, the action set pieces are very well designed and Bekmambetov allows us to explore this fantastic world of vampires, sorcerers and other supernaturals with a lucid camera-work and Gothic atmospheres.
Konstantin Khabensky as Anton Gorodetsky makes a good lead, quite atypical from the common hero of this kind of stories. He has that everyday man look and at the same time is quite believable as the unlikely hero. Galina Tyunina plays Olga, a sorceress who is assigned to aid Anton and although we don't see much of her character, her performance is quite spot on and has good chemistry with Konstantin. It is worth to mention that the dark industrial setting of Moscow acts like another character, and Bekmambetov makes the most of his locations with a good use of lighting and special effects.
"Night Watch"'s main problem is the one that earned it the hate of prominent Russian critics: at times it tries too much to prove that "Russians can make blockbusters too", and by doing it the movie gains the same flaws as the movies it attempts to imitate. While the lead character is perfectly developed, and the whole plot itself is well explored; most of the supporting characters receive few time to shine.
Timur Bekmambetov has done a very good work in this first episode of "Nochnoy Dozor", however, there is a lot of work to do and hopefully all the flaws the movie has will be corrected in the second part, as this is only an introduction to this brave new world. The movie has successfully created a thrilling story with enough suspense and emotion that the wait for the second part becomes difficult to stand. 7/10
Based on a series of very successful novels by Sergei Lukyanenko, "Nochnoy Dozor" is the beginning of the final battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. Unknown to humans, supernatural beings collectively named as "The Others" exist and take part in a war that has been going on since the beginning of time. However, a truce was declared centuries ago and now every Other must decide between the Light and the Darkness, and to keep the balance between them two special forces are created: the Day Watch and the Night Watch. Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky), our main character, is a member of the Night Watch; Light's special team to watch over the Others of the Darkness.
Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian director who so far had only directed small B-Movies in the U.S., returns home with a blast to give life to Lukyanenko's fantastic world in this first chapter of a trilogy that seems to be set to become a cult-classic. Bekmambetov's visual style is definitely influenced by Hollywood modern action/horror films, however, he manages to keep a balance between the special effects and the character development. This is what really sets "Nochnoy Dozor" apart from its American influences, Bekmambetov slowly builds up his characters and manages to make Lukyanenko's complex world understandable and very attractive.
It is probably this dedication to the plot what makes "Night Watch" a bit slow in some parts. As the movie is the initial chapter of a trilogy it focuses more on setting up the plot rather than on actual action and this may turn away people expecting non-stop action. Still, the action set pieces are very well designed and Bekmambetov allows us to explore this fantastic world of vampires, sorcerers and other supernaturals with a lucid camera-work and Gothic atmospheres.
Konstantin Khabensky as Anton Gorodetsky makes a good lead, quite atypical from the common hero of this kind of stories. He has that everyday man look and at the same time is quite believable as the unlikely hero. Galina Tyunina plays Olga, a sorceress who is assigned to aid Anton and although we don't see much of her character, her performance is quite spot on and has good chemistry with Konstantin. It is worth to mention that the dark industrial setting of Moscow acts like another character, and Bekmambetov makes the most of his locations with a good use of lighting and special effects.
"Night Watch"'s main problem is the one that earned it the hate of prominent Russian critics: at times it tries too much to prove that "Russians can make blockbusters too", and by doing it the movie gains the same flaws as the movies it attempts to imitate. While the lead character is perfectly developed, and the whole plot itself is well explored; most of the supporting characters receive few time to shine.
Timur Bekmambetov has done a very good work in this first episode of "Nochnoy Dozor", however, there is a lot of work to do and hopefully all the flaws the movie has will be corrected in the second part, as this is only an introduction to this brave new world. The movie has successfully created a thrilling story with enough suspense and emotion that the wait for the second part becomes difficult to stand. 7/10