Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Starring Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Valeri Zolotukhin, Mariya Poroshina, Galina Tyunina, Yuri Ketsenko, Aleksei Chadov, Zhanna Friske, Ilya Lagutenko, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Dmitry Martynov

First off, let’s not get this confused with another foreign title with the same name, though that is usually called Nightwatch. That is a Danish film from 1994, that I would still highly recommend (just don’t watch the American remake). But the film we’re reviewing today is a Russian film from 2004, titled Nochnoy dozor, or Night Watch.

When this movie first came out, I had picked up an import DVD, long before it hit DVD in the states, because I had heard some great things about it. It was supposed to be sort of like Underworld, where we have two sides of mythical creatures battling each other. That is kind of it, but so much more involved and a lot more going on here than that film. I also heard that it was similar to The Matrix because of style. This is true, but it brings a whole new level of style and camera movement.

The main plot of the film is simple. Centuries ago, the forces of good and evil met in a great battle. But when each of the leaders realized that it was an equal match and that no one would win, they called a truce, until one day, a boy would be born that would sway the power to whatever side he joined. So each side formed a team to watch over the other…a Day Watch to watch over the side of good, and a Night Watch to keep an eye on the darker side.

This is based on the series of novels from Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko, which was originally a trilogy but has now gone on to six books in the series. Night Watch movie series was also originally to be a trilogy, the second to be Day Watch (2006). But while the books have gone on, it seems the movie series has not. Which is a damn shame.

Our main character, Anton, is played by Konstantin Khabenskiy, who we meet when he goes to see an old lady who is rumored to be able to “help” him with his problem with his unfaithful wife who has left him. But before she can finish the spell, they are interrupted by the Night Watch, arresting the witch for performing her magic. When they realized the dazed and confused Anton can see them, they realize he is an “other” like them, even though he doesn’t know it. When I first watched this sequence, it just blew me away. I would show others just this part to hook them into wanting to see it, which always worked.

I will say that upon my first viewing, it was a little tough to figure out who’s who, because there are a lot of characters thrown at you right away, and it’s a little tough to figure out who is on who’s side. Especially when you see a vampire character and you automatically assume they are on the bad side. But once you grasp that, it does make it a little easier. These characters range from vampires, to shape-shifting tigers and owls. Their talents and powers are not overused throughout the movie, so it doesn’t turn into a super hero movie or something more along the lines of Matrix or the Underworld series. I think that is the main thing that sets it apart from those two.

One thing that I really loved and admired about this film is the whole mythology they created in this world. There is something called “the gloom” which seems to hide these creatures from the real world, or at least their true nature. Plus, these are exactly traditional or normal monsters that we’ve seen a hundred times before, so it was very nice to see something original come out for once. In fact, it had been a long time since I’d been this impressed with a film. With all the astonishing camera work, the characters and their little ‘talents’, and very interesting storyline, this is a film that I could sit down and watch again and still be entertained. I will say that I wasn’t too happy with the open ending, but only because it was the first in a series, which makes sense. But it did leave me wanting to know what was going to happen next. But then, now if you watch it, you won’t have to wait a couple of years to see the sequel!