Night Watch (2004)

   
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov

Written by: Timur Bekmambetov & Laeta Kalogridis
Sergei Lukyanenko (Novel)

Starring:

Konstantin Khabenskiy .... Anton Gorotetsky
Vladimir Menshov .... Geser
Valeriy Zolotukhin .... Kostya's Father
Mariya Poroshina .... Svetlana
Galina Tyunina .... Olga the sorceress
Yuriy Kutsenko .... Ignat
Aleksey Chadov .... Kostya
Mariya Mironova .... Irina
Dmitriy Martynov .... Yegor
Anna Dubrovskaya .... Vampiress Larissa

Release Dates: Moscow Film Festival: Junae 27, 2004; Berlin International Film Festival: February, 2005; Stuttgart Fantasy Filmfest: April 2, 2005 (Germany); Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival: June 8, 2005; Karlovy Vary Film Festival: July 8, 2005; Cambridge Film Festival: July 14, 2005 (UK); Fantasia Film Festival: July 25, 2005 (Canada); Copenhagen International Film Festival: August 19, 2005; Helsinki International Film Festival: September 22, 2005; Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival: September 24, 2005; Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival: October 4, 2005 (Italy); Oslo International Film Festival: November 20, 2005 (Norway); Limited Theatrical: February 7, 2006 (USA); Hong Kong International Film Festival: April 8, 2006

*Images courtesy at www.outnow.ch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rating:

 

Hundred of years ago, the forces of light and darkness faced each other in a very violent battle on a bridge. In order to avoid the total slaughter, their leaders agree to have an armistice.
Along the centuries, the two balanced sides are divided and the forces of light watch and control the vampires, a.k.a. as the forces of night. Among the humans lives "The Others", i.e., persons with supernatural powers including witches, sorcerers and vampires and with the free will to choose which side to join.
The legend says that the two forces will be unbalanced by "The Great Other", and the side this powerful being selects will win the battle.
In 1992, in Moscow, Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabenskiy) joins the forces of the light while hiring a witch for a black magic. In the present days, he faces the consequences of his act.

 

Great action paced sequences in most of the battling scene's especially during the beginning of this film with the prologue on the viking slaughterings.
We have a nice side shot on Anton Gorotetsky approaching an apartment suite and knocking on a door along with a good discussion on a witch talking pleasantly to him and then doing a voodoo like performance with shots on spiders and other creepy things roaming around along with a good flashback shot on Svetlana suffocating half to death on a boat while this is occuring and later on strange and intense moments happening with her and crazy effects too.
We have a good shot on a subway speeding through a tunnel along with Anton in the subway walking towards young Yegor and nearly about to grab him with many moments that distracts him on the subway and a good shot on Irina with her wavy hair near another subway door too.
There's a nice shot on Vampiress Larissa grabbing Yegor and putting her mouth close to his neck ready to bite him with Anton rushing in as fast as he can to save the day and doing great battling performances.
There's many good conversations between Anton and Geser with nice close up shots on them talking along with a good moment on Geser himself doing surgery and Anton acting weak and in pain.
A good shot on Vampiress Larissa walking in a tunnel with traffic looking weal and a car driving by her with somebody taunting her with a container of blood and then smashing it on the road having a bitchy attitude towards her looking like a good mobster style of direction.
We have many terrific shots on Anton in his suite talking to an owl with perfect close up shots on the owl's eyes and then great fast shots on some monstrous shots later on of the owl with Olga the Sorceress bending down on the ground in feathers.
A good effects shot on a screw falling from a plane and then rolling down a vent where cockroaches are and then landing in a coffee cup that
Irina is holding.
We have a nice shot on Svetlana looking down from a fire escape looking evil with a good camera shooting up at her while Yegor is struggling up the ladders to get to her which looked extremely suspenseful.
There's a great scene with Vampiress Larissa showing her fangs and grabbing onto Yegor up on the building roof with Anton walking towards them and she gets frusterated with him telling him she wants to be a normal person again as this looks quite impressive.
There's a good moment with Anton constantly punching someone in the face getting his frusterations out.
Bottom line is that I had a hard time understanding the story but enjoyed it regardless with all the neat and suspenseful effects used in the film in which you see someone speeding away when a tower of a power plant is about to crash watching the city go dead along with an airplane about to tear apart in the air or crashing on land in houses making the New York terrorist attack look minor.
There's a nice history involving some of the vampires life during the viking days along with good sorcery and fantasy blended all in one too.
If you enjoy video games, fantasy and horror mixed in one this film is really worth checking out since there's some fun touches in alot of the scene's portrayed here along with making you wonder who's a vampire and who's not.

The acting is hard to judge as they are from Moscow and their language is overdubbed with USA actors but let's try to take a look and see what can be done about thier talents regardless.
Konstantin Khabenskiy (Anton Gorotetsky) looked like he'd be a good character actor as at first he looks like a clean cut dweeby type in one of his first scene's and then later on had a good rough look to him in which you might think it's a different person and played a good guy vampire quite well. A good expression on his face acting hungry for blood.
Vladimir Menshov
(Geser) showed good serious to his part as a nice middle aged man which a good aggressive attitude too. He seemed another natural character actor.
G
alina Tyunina (Olga the sorceress) had the nice beautiful looks as a sorceress and not elderly looking either which is another plus for her proving younger people can play these roles too.
Young actor D
mitriy Martynov (Yegor) looked good and had the right charm as an innocent type in the film which is a good drawing card for a vampire film that is if you've seen others like The Lost Boys.
Anna Dubrovskaya
(Vampiress Larissa) played a nice vampiress showing good paranoid expressions as well as looking depressed too when necessary. She was another good drawing card to the show.

Galina Tyunina exposes her butt while covered in feather getting ready to take a bath and her breasts are briefly exposed too.

During a viking war many heads are chopped off and bloodily stabbed.
There's some bitings and other bloody stabbings here and there.
A vampire warrior takes a sword out of the back of his neck at first looking like a spinal cord.

The music was greatly composed by Yuriy Poteenko as he has some high pitched trumpet playing here and there sounding incredibly suspenseful as well as the nice smooth violing playing and some piano music too.

Yegor: Mom? Mom! Are vampires real?
Irina, Yegor's mother: Yes, Yegor. They are little boys who have been known to suck all the life out of their parents.
Yegor: I'm serious. They're real. I saw some.

Vampiress Larisa, initiate: I want to live.
Anton Gorodetsky: So live. Live. Who's stopping you?
Vampiress Larisa, initiate: I want to be human again.
Anton Gorodetsky: You want to be human? Then act like a human.