Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  There was a lot of hype surrounding this, Russia's take on the vampire myth in which the forces of light and darkness are policed by a group of shape shifting "others" in modern day Moscow. I must admit I was expecting a lot from this film but was rather disappointed.… More
  There was a lot of hype surrounding this, Russia's take on the vampire myth in which the forces of light and darkness are policed by a group of shape shifting "others" in modern day Moscow. I must admit I was expecting a lot from this film but was rather disappointed. The plot is rather cliched and too easily resolved, with very predictable twists; in fact the so-called ending seemed like yet another film setting itself up as a franchise rather than presenting a credible self-contained story. There isn't that much in the way of action, and what there is is not particularly well handled as the director throws in far too many needless The Fast And The Furious style visual gimmicks; horror fans will also feel unsatisfied as there isn't much in the way of gore or frights either. Add to this the rather naff industrial-goth soundtrack and references to videogames and Buffy The Vampire Slayer and it all feels a little juvenile. It does have some nice sequences and it never bored me, but by the end I couldn't help wondering what all the fuss had been about. Constantine did something very similar and did it a lot better.

• Josh L

  
  Incoherent, messy, rushed, and more than a little cheesy, but nonetheless has its visual thrills and inventiveness to compensate for all of its flaws, at least most of the time. The story is the part that's cheesy, pitting light and against dark in a modern day setting with… More
  Incoherent, messy, rushed, and more than a little cheesy, but nonetheless has its visual thrills and inventiveness to compensate for all of its flaws, at least most of the time. The story is the part that's cheesy, pitting light and against dark in a modern day setting with vampire's and humans called "others". The different is if you choose the light or dark side. Light others are called night watchers because they make sure the dark ones do not break the peace treaty among the two, while dark ones are called day watchers and do the same thing for the light others. It's an interesting take on the old light vs. dark, but the movie doesn't know when to take interest in certain subplots and when to not. Many subplots lead to quick and unsatisfying ending, and the finale is incredibly anti-climactic. It does have a few twists I didn't see coming though, and the movie is never boring. It's frustrating and fascinating in almost equal measure.

• Conner R

  
  Such a weird movie and almost incomprehensible at times, but that's kind've why it gets good after a while. The comedy is just sort of odd and everyone acts really animated and lively, it seemed like there was a style emerging. I think this movie is just so bloated and out… More
  Such a weird movie and almost incomprehensible at times, but that's kind've why it gets good after a while. The comedy is just sort of odd and everyone acts really animated and lively, it seemed like there was a style emerging. I think this movie is just so bloated and out of control that there was no way to make it easy for someone to grasp. There's a lot of mythology and prior knowledge that seems to be necessary before watching.

• Cindy I

  
  A Russian modern-day vampire film, very stylized and similar to Blade. There was a war between two sets of vampires centuries ago, and they made a truce with each other. Now in modern day Moscow, these two groups monitor each other for adherence to the truce. That's the general… More
  A Russian modern-day vampire film, very stylized and similar to Blade. There was a war between two sets of vampires centuries ago, and they made a truce with each other. Now in modern day Moscow, these two groups monitor each other for adherence to the truce. That's the general story. There is also a specific story about Anton, who is an "Other". This film had its moments, but I guess I'm a traditional vampire kinda girl. Plus, this got confusing towards the end of who was what and what they were doing. And who knew that a film about vampires could turn into a support message for the Pro-Life cause.

• Dead A

  
  Lame. I only the soul transferring part.

• Wahida K

  
  It began so promising then turned in to sort of Home Made Movies which we see on YouTube. lol Honestly this Movie was Joke for a Horror/Fantasy Movie. I heard there was a sequel too.

• Cassandra M

  
  After reading reviews about this movie I expected something a bit special and in some ways it is. But if this was a stand alone film I would have been less enthusiastic. It isn't of course, and the film has some great new film techniques that I've never seen before, a… More
  After reading reviews about this movie I expected something a bit special and in some ways it is. But if this was a stand alone film I would have been less enthusiastic. It isn't of course, and the film has some great new film techniques that I've never seen before, a rocking soundtrack to go with the action scenes, and very different but excellent special effects. The intriguing concepts between good and evil is what the story touches on mostly, think vampires think sorcery think Russia. The film does leave you wanting more, and it definitely could shape up to be one hell of a trilogy. So see this movie with faith that they are building this series with a huge finale in mind. If you are left a little confused like I was, do not worry as the second film will reveal much more.

• Anthony L

  
  Confusing in places and what with fast editing, wobbly camera and everything turning into either a bird, a fly of a spider, it was style over content. It was ok and I look forward to watching Day Watch, I just hope there is more story development this time!

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  As with WANTED, his English language debut, "Nochnoi Dozor" is proof that Timur Bekmambetov is, most of all, a unique director. NIGHT WATCH may not be a masterpiece or really entertaining (at least not for someone who's not a fan of horror/fantasy, like me), but… More
  As with WANTED, his English language debut, "Nochnoi Dozor" is proof that Timur Bekmambetov is, most of all, a unique director. NIGHT WATCH may not be a masterpiece or really entertaining (at least not for someone who's not a fan of horror/fantasy, like me), but it's certainly creative and a visual achievement. NIGHT WATCH makes up for a long, dragging story with inventive visuals and impressive effects.

• Derek A

  
  <i>"For it is easier to kill the Light within oneself, than to scatter the Darkness around..."</i><p>Imported from Russia, <i>Night Watch</i> is the first big budget fantasy film since the collapse of the Soviet film industry. Hell, it even… More
  <i>"For it is easier to kill the Light within oneself, than to scatter the Darkness around..."</i><p>Imported from Russia, <i>Night Watch</i> is the first big budget fantasy film since the collapse of the Soviet film industry. Hell, it even grossed more than <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> (in it's home country of course). <p>This film is directed by visionary Timur Bekmambetov (he also recently directed the visually astounding <i>Wanted</i>). In Moscow, an ancient truce between Good and Evil is monitored daily by both sides - the Good being the Night Watchers, and the Evil being the Day Watchers.<p>With <i>Night Watch</i> Bekmambetov crafts a slick and engaging world. The graphics and cinematography are top notch, even to Hollywood standards. In American terms, <b><i>Night Watch</i> is a perfect blend of <i>The Matrix</i> and <i>Underworld</i>.</b> The opening battle scene mirrors the visual excellence of <i>The Lord of the Rings.</i><p>However, with so much attention and detail rendered to the outstanding visual effects, it feels that at times the plot was ignored. It's easy for one to get swept up in the fantasy, but this film seemed to do too much. There were several different story lines that didn't flow well together. The story surrounding the young kid was tense and filled with mystery and intrigue. But the other story line following the mysterious cursed blonde woman was anti-climatic and essentially pointless. The film would have been better served if Timur would've elaborated more on the former story and completely discarded the latter.<p><i>Night Watch</i> is a Russian film, so the English voice overs were frequently off key and annoying. <p>This film is a breathtaking cinematic experience that can be enjoyed by all. Bekmambetov creates a surreal world of mystical vampires and shape-shifters that is utterly captivating. <b>This is a crowning achievement for the Russian film industry.</b><p>I hear the sequel, <i>Day Watch</i>, is even better... I can't wait to see it!

• Tsubaki S

  
  Russian sci-fi/epic fantasy combo Night Watch, based on a series of novels published over there. has a couple of interesting ideas of it's own, but they never fuse together to become interesting in any way. Characters appear and dissapear from screen, without really letting the… More
  Russian sci-fi/epic fantasy combo Night Watch, based on a series of novels published over there. has a couple of interesting ideas of it's own, but they never fuse together to become interesting in any way. Characters appear and dissapear from screen, without really letting the audience find out anything usefull about them. The whole rules about the light and dark forces watching each other seem to be a bit muddled, and it also seems that "anyone" can be a "choosen" one for no other reason than to help advance certain plot twists. It's also a bit hard to take the whole thing serious when the main bad guy is sporting a Duran Duran type of 80's hairstyle, and also happens to be able to removie his own spine and use it as a blade. All this without you know, falling apart into the ground for the lack of support for his body. Even for fantasy stories there are some things that are just too retarded to take seriouslly. Oh yeah, the light warriors have their main base in....the electric company, original uh? They also move around in this big ghosbuster-type of van, also wearing jumpsuits. I really welcome a film about vampires and the likes that try to go for another tale that it's not the usual "black leather SM/goth" type, but this is going into the goofy and cheesy-but-not-fun opposite side. In short: this feels like an attempt of mixing different types of meals in a blender. It might be possible to pull it out, but nothing asssures you the result will taste good.

• Al S

  
  One tremendously unforgettable and cool as hell thrill-ride. A stunning and mind-blowing adventure. A stylish, riveting and truly original horror story. The first chapter to a trilogy that will stand the test of time just like The Lord of the Rings. Thrilling, chilling and incrediably… More
  One tremendously unforgettable and cool as hell thrill-ride. A stunning and mind-blowing adventure. A stylish, riveting and truly original horror story. The first chapter to a trilogy that will stand the test of time just like The Lord of the Rings. Thrilling, chilling and incrediably exhilerating. Powerful and unforgettable. Provocative and freightning. Delivers great speacial effects, creepy horror and relentless action. An astonishing piece of work. A true triumph. A visionary piece of art thats true to it's material. Director, Timur Bekmambetov has brought a new type of visionary fantasy to screen and blows you away. Brilliant, scary, groundbreaking and breathtaking. A hard-rocking and energetic edge of your seat ride.

• Dean !

  
  A very good Russian film, the first in a triology about the battle between good and evil. Has some great SFX, if you like vampire films etc you should like this. A little weird at times but a very stylised film.

• Jens S

  
  One of the biggest successes of Russian literature (and now cinema) and one of the few exports that made it to other countries in recent years has quite an interesting take on the eternal battle of good and evil. The look of this fantasy / horror movie is defined by a wild, sometimes… More
  One of the biggest successes of Russian literature (and now cinema) and one of the few exports that made it to other countries in recent years has quite an interesting take on the eternal battle of good and evil. The look of this fantasy / horror movie is defined by a wild, sometimes odd mix of modern Matrix-esque special effects and every day life of Moscow, which can be positively described as unique, but also causes quite a bunch of WTF moments. Without having read the novel it's still very apparent that the script had to rush a lot into this first movie of three. Apart from those few rather weird, inappropriate and confusing scenes there isn't all that much to complain about this. It's entertaining and adds some new spices into an old genre. It's just not all that impressive either.

• Lady D

  
  My first Russian film! This one seemed to come well recommended. A very modern day vampire style film, capturing a very different angle to others. I did lose the storyline a bit toward the end, but have to say the effects were terrific, not constant throughout the film, but… More
  My first Russian film! This one seemed to come well recommended. A very modern day vampire style film, capturing a very different angle to others. I did lose the storyline a bit toward the end, but have to say the effects were terrific, not constant throughout the film, but impressive when they appear.

• Michael G

  
  Pretty goddamned disappointing. Nightwatch has a great premise, generally fantastic imagery and not a hell of a lot else to back it up. The character development was generally uneven as was the story. Things would happen and I'd wonder where the hell it all came from. This movie… More
  Pretty goddamned disappointing. Nightwatch has a great premise, generally fantastic imagery and not a hell of a lot else to back it up. The character development was generally uneven as was the story. Things would happen and I'd wonder where the hell it all came from. This movie had is moments, definitely but it just made me want to watch Constantine instead.

• Dean M

  
  Fantastic and entertaining thriller I ever saw and is more than a new legend in sci-fi made in Russia. I fully understand what this fantasy story is about the forces of Light and Darkness. Unbelievable.

• _kelly .

  
  *chants mockingly: Hollywood can't do this!

• Bruce B

  
  Good to See Rusian Film Makers get one to the US. Very Enjoyable Vamp film. !0 times better then Day Watch.

• Justin Y

  
  This is one of the better sci-fi stories out there. It can be also safe to say that this is one of the better films that I have seen out of Russia.<p>The premise for this film is fantastic, which we can thank the novel, of the same name, that the story is based on. Like some… More
  This is one of the better sci-fi stories out there. It can be also safe to say that this is one of the better films that I have seen out of Russia.<p>The premise for this film is fantastic, which we can thank the novel, of the same name, that the story is based on. Like some other sci-fi films out there, this one relies less on action and more on the story and other sci-fi elements. Light vs. Dark, the twilight, vampires, sorcerers, shape-shifters, etc. are all involved here. The one thing about this film is that you may need to watch it multiple times to actually figure out some of the details. The story has a lot of characters and depth, which unfortunately isn't explained too well. This is where I would highly recommend reading the book.</p><p>I've seen this film before reading the book and after as well. Let me tell you, that the film is much better after reading the book. The book explains all aspects nicely, which in turn, will make the movie much more enjoyable.</p><p>The acting for this film is spot on. All characters are as you should expect. Konstantin Khabensky is great as the lead, Anton. My only complaint here is that many characters are under developed. You can only do so much with the little time you have I guess.</p>Science fiction fans should give this film a watch and let me remind you that this film is from Russia, so the style is different from Hollywood flicks. A great start to the trilogy. Oh yeah, the soundtrack is rocking as well.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings