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| Night Watch | 
 enlarge | Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Actors: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Valeri Zolotukhin, Mariya Poroshina, Galina Tyunina
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.99
You Save: $10.99 (73%)
New (38) Used (39) from $3.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  154 reviews
Sales Rank: 4735
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 114
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D2233748D
UPC: 024543237488
EAN: 0024543237488
ASIN: B000FFJ81C
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: June 20, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Dvd and case - Dvd has some scratches
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Amazon.com
Night Watch is that rare film that--like The Matrix--is not only visually dazzling but creates an intriguing, seductive, and thrilling alternative world. A young man named Anton, after dabbling in black magic to bring back the wife who left him, discovers that the world is populated by fantastical Others (vampires, shape-shifters, witches, and more) who have chosen sides--Light or Dark--in an epic battle. A truce has been declared; both sides watch the other to ensure the truce is maintained. But a prophecy has predicted that a powerful Other will tilt the balance, and Anton--who is himself an Other--finds himself crucial to the prophecy's fulfillment. There's no question that Night Watch has weaknesses. Numerous plot holes get glossed over by pell-mell pacing, the visual conception of the apocalyptic battle between Light and Dark is curiously pedestrian (a bunch of knights fighting a bunch of guys in fur with swords--what happened to their various powers?), and more--but, much like similar problems with The Matrix, it doesn't matter. The alternative world Night Watch presents is so rich with possibilities that it takes on a life of its own, both as an imaginative universe and as a vivid metaphor for the moral complexities of our own lives--for example, though the forces of Light claim to be good, their often brutal actions call their virtue into question, and the forces of Dark make some compelling moral arguments on the topic. The movie is so overstuffed with ideas that many don't get fleshed out, but that only contributes to the sense of vitality and unexplored dimensions. Even the subtitles are used creatively. The impending sequels (this is the first film of a trilogy) may--like The Matrix--take all the stimulating possibilities Night Watch raises and drag them into the toilet, but for the moment, this is the sort of electric excitement that blockbuster movies promise but so rarely deliver. --Bret Fetzer
Description
Among normal humans live the "Others" possessing various supernatural powers. They are divided up into the forces of light and the forces of the dark, who signed a truce several centuries ago to end a devastating battle. Ever since, the forces of light govern the day while the night belongs to their dark opponents. In modern day, the dark Others actually roam the night as vampires while a "Night Watch" of light forces, among them Anton, try to control them and limit their outrage.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 149 more reviews...
 Now among my favorite films! May 14, 2006
56 out of 66 found this review helpful
Others are those wizards, sorcerers, witches and shapechangers among us, locked in combat between those dedictaed to the Light and Dark. Generals Gesen and Zavulon command the forces of Others dedicated to Light and Darkness, respectively. On a bridge, the two armies meet, and a truce is struck to prevent to annihilation of all Others in that combat. Both sides wait for the birth of an Other whose choice of sides will decide the end to their struggle.
In 1992, Anton, a mild mannered man, meets a modern witch in her apartment to have her cast a spell to retun his lost love to him. She warns him that his love is now pregnant with another man's child, and that this child will constantly draw Anton's love back to the other man, unless it is also destroyed. However, the witch will only attempt to destroy the child if Anton agrees to accept the responsibility of that act. In the botched process of casting the spell to destroy the unborn child, he awakes to the uneeen world around him, becoming an Other.
In 2004, Anton has chosen the Light side, and is hunting vampires and other Dark siders in Moscow, using his special Gift as a Seer. Ironically, he lives next door to a vampire, and they share a wary but friendly relationship. Interestingly, the Light is in the habit of providing special licenses to Dark siders, allowing them to kill/feed/convert/etc., but each side polices the activities of the other to make certain that the Truce is never broken. During an intervention, Anton kills the vampire lover of a young girl, recently "turned", saving a young boy in the process, but effectively violating the peace. He also encounters Svetlana, something "much worse than a vampire", but who is wholly unaware of her role in apocalyptic events about to unfold.
This unique film brings a Russian artistic and cultural approach to a story that seems straight out of a graphic novel. While the story itself may not be unique, seeming pretty much standard Gaiman or Vertigo fare, the production is stunning. The director uses camera angles, and incorporates photographic and artistic elements I've never seen, and the effect is enthralling. It's not a film based on big pyrotechnic explosions and gunfire, and the Special Effects aren't totally up to Dreamworks standards, but the film is a lush portrait of the struggle between good and evil, as well as the tendency of each walking those paths to cross over to the others point of view, that puts recent films of similar theme (Underworld 1/2, Constantine, Van Helsing) in 2nd place.
Absolutely incredible genre-busting film. May 1, 2006
41 out of 49 found this review helpful
"It is easier for a man to destroy the Light inside himself than to defeat the darkness all around him."
"Night Watch" is the closest any film has come since "The Matrix" to completely knocking me on my ass on the fisrt viewing. There is so much awesomeness in this movie, that you can almost feel the rest of the trilogy building as this first installment goes on. The story is so well crafted, the action so exhilarating, and the themes and concepts put forth so fresh that the few flaws are easily brushed aside in favor of total immersion into this new world. The story centers around the war between light and dark. The light side has a special organization, Night Watch, who monitor the dark ones even as the dark side's own Day Watch monitors them. Both sides have the goal of maintaining peace and order as each man and woman is free to choose which side they will follow. Needless to say, the truce between the two sides is tentative at best. Each member of the supernatural light/dark battle is referred to as an "Other" and they include in their ranks witches, vampires, shapeshifters and all of the other usual horror fare. They all have the ability to slip into an alternate dimension known as "The Gloom" which makes them invisible to the real world except for their reflection in mirrors. This is used to create some mind-bogglingly awesome and creepy shots. The characters are many, interesting, and instantly accessible. Each has a great story behind them, but most are sorely underdeveloped. This, I'm sure, will be remedied in the next installment. I mean, how could you not want to see more of a villain who pulls a sword out of his own spine? Then there's the sexy were-tiger girl (don't blink or you'll miss her awesome tranformation) and a pop-diva who doubles as a Day Watch warrior. Heck, there's a character who can supposedly change into a bear and it is never even shown in the film. But you know what they say in show business: always leave the audience wanting more. Well, they certainly succeeded on that front. The best thing about this genre-defying epic is that it really does feel like the tip of the iceberg. The only true flaw that this film has is some very bad quick-cutting during the action sequences that can be very confusing. That's pretty much it. The rest is pure gold as far as I'm concerned. There is also a wealth of deleted scenes that are well worth watching as they help flesh out the story. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a DVD with more deleted scenes that I wished had stayed in the film. If you've been looking for something different and mind-blowing in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy genre then you would be a fool to pass this film by.
 A visually compelling, visionary tour de force of Russian cinema November 14, 2006
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
It's about time the Russians gave us something besides ICBMs targeted on our cities and nuclear power plants in Iran. It's actually a little difficult to review Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor); it's a film you hate to criticize, even though the plot can get pretty confusing at times. The special effects are darned impressive, certainly up to (if not better than) the standards of your typical Hollywood blockbuster, but I don't think the stylish atmosphere of the film rises to the point of richness. Night Watch actually reminded me a bit of Constantine in that regard - but I must say that Night Watch is easily the better film of the two.
What you've got here is basically an eternal struggle between good and evil, with both sides really residing in a gray area in between. Supposedly, there was this huge confrontation between the forces long ago - but, seeing that both equally matched sides would surely annihilate one another, both sides agreed to a truce that has held for many, many years. Light rules the day, Night rules the night, and both sides watch one another to make sure no one goes around messing with that whole balance thing. Who are these guys, anyway? They call themselves the Others, and everyone among them has some kind of special power that is decidedly more than human (most humans can't transform themselves into cheetahs, for example). As with all such mystical beings, there's a prophecy. This one says that some Other will emerge and win the day for one side - it could be Light, or it could be Dark. Sounds a little like Star Wars, doesn't it?
Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky) discovers that he is an Other after seeking the assistance of some ooby jooby lady to get his wife back. That whole thing doesn't go too well, which isn't all bad because a wife would sort of get in the way of Anton's new job - tracking down vampires who are illegally "calling" victims to them. Even though he chose the Light side, he still has to scarf down a bunch of blood in order to exercise his special gift. Things start to heat up after he kinda sorta kills one of the agents of Darkness, but everything comes down to a contest between both sides to lay claim to a boy who may bring balance to the Force (oops, I mean tip the balance for one side over the other). There's a twist toward the end, which probably won't come as a huge surprise to some viewers, but the conclusion succeeds very well in setting the stage for the next installment in what will be a trilogy of films.
While I can't get as breathlessly excited over the film as a good many others have (including the population of Russia, who made this the country's highest grossing film ever - although it only held that title for a few months), it's still an enjoyable, visually stunning, decidedly different type of film - and a real treat for Western audiences. Don't worry about the subtitles, either, as they are superb. If the writers can firm up the storyline as they work their way into the sequels, then the sky's the limit with this enigmatic Russian trilogy.
This DVD is feature packed with many different language and subtitle options! June 25, 2006
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
Some early reviews have stated incorrect information regarding the subtitle status of this movie. In fact this DVD has so many features when it comes to audio and subtitle selection that it can be confusing. This is my review of these options in hopes of making it all understandable.
This DVD release is a single disc DVD release but the DVD has information on both sides. Side 1 is dual layer whereas Side 2 is single layer.
It is easier if I describe SIDE 2 before I describe SIDE 1 so here goes ...
SIDE 2 OF THE DVD:
This side has the much celebrated animated subtitles which have been burned into the image. They are not selectable meaning they cannot be turned off. This was the only way to do the subtitles due to the animated and varied nature of the subtitles. If you haven't seen the movie yet then this will make sense once you watch this version.
This side has 5.1 Dolby Digital Russian audio although when there is voice-over (like at the beginning of the film) the voice-over is in English but all characters are in the original Russian. The only other audio on this side is the audio commentary by the director who thankfully speaks English very well.
Now there are a variety of subtitle options that can be turned on and off. These usually appear at the top of the screen so as not to interfer with the burned-in animated subtitls.
1.) English for the hearing imparied. This is like Closed Captioned subtitles. They don't repeat the already burned in subtitles [except for the voice-over stuff which is fully subtitled here) but add to the already burned in subtitles by saying [BUZZING] ... [DOOR LOCK CLICKS] ... [PHONE RINGING] ... and other CC type stuff.
2.) French subtitles
3.) Spanish subtitles
4.) Subtitle Commentary by the author of the book NIGHT WATCH on which the film is based on. This is interesting as this "commentary" is not verbal but in subtitle form. It is available in English, French and Spanish.
That's it for SIDE TWO.
SIDE 1 OF THE DVD:
This side does NOT have the famous animated subtitles that can be found on SIDE 2 of the DVD. Instead SIDE 1 of the DVD features a 5.1 Dolby Digital English soundtrack. This is of course dubbed as the original film is a Russian language film. Also included are 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound (but not 5.1 DD) audio tracks in French and Spanish.
There are several subtitles options:
1.) English - Full English subs but these are just "plain" English subtitles ... not the famous "animated" subtitles found on SIDE 2 of the DVD. Not sure why they are here since this side of the DVD has no Russian but an English dub soundtrack which makes these English subtitles a bit useless.
2.) English for the hearing impaired. This is the same as the English subtitles above but adds Closed Captioned information like [DOG BARKING] ... [PHONE RINGING] ... [BEEPING] ... and other CC type stuff.
3.) Spanish subtitles.
To sum things up SIDE 1 of the DVD is only for those that want to watch the film with either an English dub, French dub or Spanish dub. SIDE 2 is the side you really want to watch as it has Russian dialog with the famous "animated" English subtitles and even has selectable English hearing impaired subs.
SIDE 1 is SPECIAL though in that it has some extra "bonus" stuff not on SIDE 2 which I will detail now:
1.) THE ROOF (Extended Ending). Unlike the movie (which is 16x9 WS on both sides) this bonus scene is presented in a letterboxed 4:3 ratio. It has several audio and subtitle options which include:
A.) 5.1 Russian
B.) 5.1 English
C.) Director Commentary (speaking English)
There are also subtitle options here including English, French or Spanish. These are simple selectable non-animated subtitles.
Also on this side is a short video called NIGHT WATCH TRILOGY which is short but interesting as the director talks about the first film and it's appeal outside of the Russia and briefly talks about the second film and a proposed "direction" the third film may take. All too brief though.
We also get trailers for BROKEN SAINTS (some animated film I never heard of that looks interesting), THE HILLS HAVE EYES (the remake) and lastly a short trailer for some fall TV show comming to FX called THIEF.
Last but not least is a video called INSIDE LOOK which turns out to be nothing more than a teaser type trailer for the remake of THE OMEN. Why this is called INSIDE LOOK on the menu is anyone's guess.
Anyways that is all she wrote ... hope this is helpfull to you!
Black Light Beauty April 23, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
If there's anything that movies like 300 and The Matrix have taught us, it's that sometimes it's enough for a movie just to look good. Granted, stunning visuals will never take the place of a stunning plot, but in lieu of one, it's nice to have the other.
The darkly lavish "Night Watch" is Russia's answer to the vampire movie, a twisted tale about the warring forces of Good and Evil and the hasty (and rather shaky) pact they made that allows them to operate within certain parameters without getting in each others' way. These forces are known, collectively, as Others.
At the start of the film, our lead, Anton Gorodetsky, enlists the help of a witch in an attempt to get his ex-wife to return to him, but the witch is stopped in mid-ritual by the Night Watch -- the "Good" Others -- because she lied to Anton about the circumstances of the spell (thus violating the ancient pact). Anton is thrust maddeningly into this dark, tarry underworld, and he also discovers that he, too, is an Other.
Anton chooses the side of Light and spends his life hunting down those Dark Others who are not abiding by the terms of the long-standing agreement between Good and Evil. But the times, they are a-changing. It seems a new Other has been born, one whose power will end the stalemate between Black and White and usher in a new era where the rules no longer apply.
The rules, as they are, are vague anyway. Anton's world is built on some presuppostions that many viewers (I, at least) may not be aware of. And the cogs and wheels of the war between the two worlds turn according to a logic that isn't what you would call instantly familiar. However, they also turn at a rambunctious pace, throwing off enough sparks to distract anyone from the story's odd structure, weird methodology, and gaping holes.
Well-ventilated though the tale may be, the central mechanism of the plot is firmly in place, and is actually kind of heartbreaking. Although there are elements that are superfluous (the character of Maxim Ivanovich), incongruous (the introductory scene), and vague (the video game fortune teller), the core storyline is satisfying enough.
I get the impression that all of the weird, orbiting, and unconnected bits of plot would've made for a stronger story had the movie been extended to, say, three hours long (or made into a mini-series), giving the gaps time to be filled in. Even as it stands, with a slim (and slightly shattered) story, the film is still, if nothing else, an amazing technical achievement. Ignore the unfinished philosophical musings, relish the kaleidoscopic editing, and sit back with some popcorn. It may be hard to understand at parts, but it's not at all hard to watch.
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