Watch your back

Our rating:

With something like vampire pictures, it’s hard to inject any new life into the genre. Perhaps a little surprisingly however, Russian director Timur Bekmambetov manages to do just that with the cult hit (and mainstream hit in Russia) Night Watch, now available on DVD.

The thing about this film is that it adds a modern twist on the rather tired pre-apocalyptic good vs evil scenario – and does it with a lot of style. Of course, if you don’t buy into this kind of fantasy-horror at all, this film won’t change your opinion; but if you’re prepared to suspend disbelief for 110 minutes or so, then there’s actually a lot to like here.

Nightwatch cleverly subverts the traditional vampire construct by introducing the concept of “Others”. Although I didn’t think the film made it very clear, it seems these Others are humans endowed with special powers (transfiguration, for example). All Others have to choose between the Light and the Dark. If they choose the Light, they become a kind of supernatural police force known as the Night Watch; with the ability to “license” vampires to hunt and the authority to track them down and punish them if they break the rules. If they choose the Dark (the Day Watch), the role is basically reversed, keeping the natural balance of Light and Dark in check.

The role of the Others has remained virtually unchanged for centuries, but now, in contemporary Moscow, there are rumblings that the order of things is about to be upset. Prophesies tell of a powerful Other who will alter the course of history. Not that those stories are foremost in the mind of Anton (Konstantin Khabensky), an Other who’s part of a Night Watch team. The constant struggle with vampires is wearying him; plus he’s haunted by the events that revealed him as an Other in the first place. But when a young woman (Mariya Mironova) shows signs that an impending catastrophe is on the cards, he has to fight to discover what’s going on – and to protect her and her son Yegor (Dmitri Martynov) from ravenous vampires.

While adding a pop culture sensibility to horror movies is nothing new, Bekmambetov goes beyond the pyrotechnics of movies like Blade to introduce a real sense of Gothic dread into the proceedings. Perhaps it helps to have a real Eastern European perspective on things, rather than an American interpretation of it.

He also keeps the action fairly tight; and the action mostly immediate and small-scale. Towards the end, the script demands some large-scale effects, and these are effectively handled, particularly a power plant explosion. In these latter stages, Bekmambetov does tend to lose control of the characters somewhat, but that’s redeemed in a cliffhanger ending, which confirms that this is merely the opening instalment in a Night Watch series.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the sub-titles on this DVD, because they’re some of the most impressive I’ve seen for some time. Not only are they highly inventive; but they become part of the film, rather than a clumsy addition to it.

Performances are fine throughout, with Konstantin Khabensky particularly good as the rather dishevelled and stressed Anton. Although the more minor characters don’t get much of a look in, Aleksandr Samojlenko as Bear is engaging, while young Dmitri Martynov makes an impression as the youngster in danger.

Night Watch is a refreshing take on the horror movie. This is a cut above your average vampire flick, because it actually thinks about its story rather than just where to place the next music clip.

David Edwards

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Night Watch

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Mironova, Dmitri Martynov and Aleksandr Samojlenko
DVD release: 15 March 2006