In 2004, the first film installment of the planned trilogy based on the novels by Russian writer, Sergei Lukyanenko, was released. That film being, Night Watch (Nochnoy dozor) (Review). The film was directed and co-written by; Timur Bekmambetov. The film stars; Konstantin Khabensky (Anton), Vladimir Menshov (Geser), Mariya Poroshina (Svetlana), Galina Tyunina (Olga/Owl), Yuri Kutsenko (Ignat), Aleksei Chadov (Kostya), Ilya Lagutenko (Andrei), Viktor Verzhbitsky (Zavulon) and Dmitry Martynov (Yegor).
In 1342, the Warriors of Light and the Warriors of Darkness met on a bridge to battle and the battle was so bloody and threatened the end of the life of all 'Others' that a truce was reached in which the Warriors of Light ran the Night Watch and the Warriors of Darkness ran a Day Watch to keep a close watch on each other and to be sure the truce was maintained. This truce has been upheld for centuries, that is until 1992. In Moscow, Anton (Khabensky) has come to the apartment of a 'witch' in an effort to destroy the unborn child his girlfriend is carrying....a child which is not his, the unborn child has been fathered by another. The witch has begun the ceremony in which to destroy the unborn child and asks Anton if he's willing to assume his role in this process and Anton agrees. As the ceremony progresses and the witch is close to completing the deed, the 'Night Watch' suddenly breaks into the apartment and begins to question the witch. Anton is somewhat confused by everything he sees and once he begins to talk to the members of the Night Watch, they realize, if he can see them, he must be one of the 'Others'. The story jumps twelve years into the future and we see present day Moscow and Anton is now working with the Night Watch. He's called upon to track down a young boy who is being called by a vampire and his girlfriend, the vampire has just 'turned' his girlfriend and she is to feed upon the boy. Anton tracks the boy to a subway and while trying to keep an eye on the boy, he sees what he believes to be a witch/Svetlana (Poroshina), due to the vortex which surrounds her. This vortex could signal the end of the world or the passing of power from one side to the other. The odd thing is, Svetlana has no clue that she's been cursed or all the havoc that surrounds her. Anton must continue on with his hunt for the boy and tracks the boy to the vampire's lair where the young woman, hesitates in feasting on the boy and in the struggle to save the child, Anton kills the vampire, thus breaking the truce. Anton takes one hell of a beating in the process of saving the boy, who is identified as Yegor (Martynov) and the Night Watch is alerted to the fact that not only has the death of the vampire broken the truce, but that Svetlana is also someone that must be dealt with. As Anton and the Night Watch prepare to battle the curse of Svetlana and save Yegor, Anton's past begins to play a major role in the final outcome.
Night Watch is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and looks quite good, even the darker nighttime scenes are quite clear and easy to see. Audio options on the disc include original Russian language (Dolby Digital 5.1) with English or Spanish subtitles or English language (Dolby Digital 5.1) with English and Spanish subtitles and French or Spanish language, so definitely no shortage of audio options. Please note that the original Russian language is available on Side B of the disc. In my own opinion, the original Russian language is the best option for the film. The bonus features also cover both sides of the disc and include on Side A:
-The Roof (Extended Ending with Director Commentary)
-Night Watch Trilogy (Very Brief Look at Night Watch Film and Two Announced Sequels)
-Trailers: The Broken Saints, The Hills Have Eyes (2006 Remake), Thief (FX Original Series)
-Inside Look: The Omen (2006)
Bonus features included on Side B:
-Commentary Track with Director Timur Bekmambetov (In English with Optional English Subs)
-Commentary Track with Novel Writer Sergei Lukyanenko (In Russian with Optional English Subs)
Night Watch isn't a bad film, but it certainly isn't an easy film to follow, at least for me. I think I'd easily need another viewing to make more sense of the film, but the visuals are quite impressive. I think the ideas are interesting, I like the story-line and I think future installments might hold more promise, but the characters don't make much of an impact on me. I came away feeling nothing for any of the main characters, again, didn't really care if one was to live over another and that makes it tough to become deeply involved with the film, but again, future installments of the trilogy could very well rectify this feeling and I'd certainly not avoid sequels. I just need to probably sit down and give this film an additional viewing and perhaps I'd walk away with a different view all together. I think, Night Watch is worthy of a rental and perhaps, once future films in the trilogy are released, I might want to invest in the entire series, but as it is, now, I am still sitting on the fence on how I really feel about the film.
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