Movie Review

Nochnoy Dozor

Capsule Review

Night Watch is such a cool film visually that it?s a shame the story is always stuck in first gear. This is the first installment of a planned trilogy in which vampires in Moscow battle one another. Along the way, a lot of supposed mythology is thrown at our face, suggesting that there?s more to it than that basic setup, but that?s about all I picked up from it ? and coming out, I really had no idea what in the hell I had just watched. Some have labeled this film as a total mind job, but it?s a mind job in the worst of ways; you?re never quite sure what is going on, who people are, or what the purpose of this story is. One?s mind can be frantically wrapped around this thing, but one?s understanding may never fall into place. This is cult cinema in the frustrating sense; the visuals are all there, but that is about it.

The film leaves us with a tease as if more explanation will come in the second entry, but that?s assuming we actually care; I, for one, was ready to leave this story behind by the end of the first act. The film starts on a very promising note as if it?s going to be another 28 Days Later (B), but ends up being more like last year?s foreign thriller, Oldboy (C+). Director Timur Bekmambetov does a splendid job with the cinematography and sound making us believe for a second that it might just be a true mind job. This is exactly what midnight cult flicks are supposed to be ? they grab a hold of your senses and make you feel like you?re somewhere else in another world. Technically, that?s what this film aims to do, and it works sometimes. But the film left me frustrated on a story front; films that are all ?cool? and emotionally inept are most invigorating.

Night Watch has a very talented director and has taut editing and decent performances, but in order for it to really work, the script needs to have some significance. It all comes off as very generic vampire-blood-seeking material, but its supposed secret meanings will likely get genre fans gossiping. Night Watch seems to have a mythology like The Matrix (B) to take in, but it?s missing many of the components that made that universe so fascinating to dissect. This is a film that will likely split people down the middle ? and for those who do appreciate it, it may be watched again and again. For others, it?ll just be one in a long line of wannabe trippy movies that just didn?t hit the mark.

Lee's Grade: C
Ranked #90 of 177 between Saw 3 (#89) and Pan's Labyrinth (#91) for 2006 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%