Night Watch : Blu-ray Review

The Movie Itself is written and directed by Timur Bekmambetov (”Wanted“), and adapted from the novel by Sergei Lukyanenko.

As an enforcer of the Night Watch, “Anton Gorodetsky” (Konstantin Khabensky) has a rather interesting occupation. Charged with the task of policing and maintaining order of the dark “others” — vampires — that inhabit Russia, Anton has his work cut out for him. It’s not an easy job, especially when tensions begin to mount between the two — “light” and “dark” — factions surrounding an age old prophecy that foretells the arrival of a “Great Other” who will choose evil, over good — subsequently tipping the delicate balance between “Light” and “Dark.”

Armed with a special — UV? — flashlight and a slew of sixth-sense abilities, Anton must work in tandem with the forces of light to fight against the age-old prophecy, and hopefully reverse it, by securing the young boy, and keeping him out of the clutches of the “Dark Others.” Should he fail, the world will be plunged into darkness forever.

Having gone into this movie with extremely high expectations — thanks to Timur’s latest mind-blowing experience, “Wanted” — I was anticipating a visceral, twisted, action-romp. What I came away with though, was an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. It’s clear to me now that Timur’s sensibility as a director has come a long way since he set out to make this “Russian Horror Trilogy.”

The overall message here is a bit too muddled, or perhaps much of it is lost in translation to foreign audiences (as people on IMDb have suggested). Whatever the reason, “Night Watch” never truly grips the viewer, or even fully entertains them. Oftentimes, it seems that the film is having an identity crisis, and is unsure whether or not it’s supposed to play out like a horror film, an action film, or a drama. Now, I’m all for genre-bending, but the resulting film is so mixed up and ambiguous, that there is little to latch onto as a viewer. As a result, with little to no foundation, the events that transpire serve as little else aside from eye candy.

Personally, I saw very few similarities between Timur’s latest action-masterpiece (Wanted), and his famed bloody Russian fairytale (Night Watch). I realize it might be unfair of me to draw such comparisons, but taking into consideration the fact that Timur himself said that “Wanted” took the place of “Twilight Watch” (the tentative third installment in the series), I no longer feel like I’m comparing apples to oranges.

Of course, the film isn’t bad, per se, it’s just that it fails to move, or engage you on any particular level. Even still, I think it’s worth a rent if you’re curious to see Timur’s previous work.