Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor)

Year: 2004
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Galina Tyunina

Night Watch is the first of a trilogy, a fantasy story co-written by director Timur Bekmambetov, set in Russia. At its core is the familiar struggle between good and evil, with a touch of horror and action thrown in.

The film begins with a prologue, about an ancient battle between the forces of good and evil. The good was called Light and the evil called Dark. The war between these two forces weren't between normal men, but special people called Others. Light was led by Lord Geser (Menshov) and Dark was led by General Zavulon (Verzhbitsky). On a fateful day, both sides fought on a bridge to a standstill, so Geser and Zavulon made a pact, where they would cease fighting for the sake of the world, but they were not allowed to do anything that would upset the balance between the 2 sides. In order to ensure that the balance was maintained, both sides would police each other over the course of time. The Light guardians are called Nightwatch and the Dark ones are called Daywatch.

Cut to present time, where a man named Anton Gorodetsky (Khabensky) meets a witch, with the intention to inflict pain on a former lover. He changes his mind at the last moment, and then sees the witch's true identity thanks to the presence of the Nightwatch. Nightwatch discovers Anton is an Other and recruits him. Soon, Anton is given a task: to find a boy, known to be an Other, who may upset the balance depending on which side he chooses. He finds the boy, and saves him just in time from two agents of the Dark side. Unfortunately, not only does the boy escape, Anton kills one of the agents, prompting the Dark to take action to seize the boy at all costs. Anton also learns about a cursed girl who may also hold the key to the ongoing war. Geser sends Anton to find her as Zavulon closes in on the boy...

This film may be in Russian, but it is no less astounding. Foreign languages have no effect on its quality. This is a great film, and it shows. But it isn't great because of its production value, on the surface it looks a lot like a B-grade flick. But it makes up for it with a creative filmmaking style, which although isn't unique, suits the film well. Director Bekmambetov uses quick cuts, fast forwards and weird camera angles to great effect, giving it a surreal feel. In this context, it certainly works better than Tony Scott's attempt with the same style in Man On Fire and Domino.

The acting is subtle yet convincing, especially Khabensky, who plays the tormented Anton well. The other cast members may not have much screen time in comparison, but they do add colour and humour to a film that may have ended up looking really quirky or dull, but thankfully didn't. Night Watch is by no means perfect, some subplots seem too complicated and there are several continuity issues you will notice. But on the whole, it certainly deserves a try, at least once.

If you're a horror fantasy fan, you may want to try this film. Its sequel, Day Watch is coming soon. I can't wait. (4/5)