| Night Watch |
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List Price: $27.98
Buy New: $13.40
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Buy New/Used/Collectible from $8.99
Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 64 reviews)
Sales Rank: 318
Category: DVD
Actors: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Valeri Zolotukhin, Mariya Poroshina, Galina Tyunina, Yuri Kutsenko, Aleksei Chadov, Zhanna Friske, Ilya Lagutenko, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Rimma Markova, Mariya Mironova (ii), Aleksandr Samojlenko, Aleksei Maklakov, Dmitry Martynov, Anna Slyusaryova, Anna Dubrovskaya, Sergei Prikhodko, Igor Savochkin, Georgy Dronov
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Label: 20th Century Fox
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Russian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 114 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 024543237488
EAN: 0024543237488
ASIN: B000FFJ81C
Release Date: June 20, 2006
Theatrical Release Date: January 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Editorial Reviews:
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 59 more reviews...
 This film was great during the first ten minutes and so..... July 27, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
And after that it went all over the place. A number of reviewers stand correct on this film regarding its ups and downs base on the production. There are a number of movies you can describe this to. To me personally it was a blend of `The Matrix,' a dash of `Constantine,' with a hint of `Under World,' place it the oven you get `Night Watch' done in one hour and fifty four minutes.
It's hard to believe that this film was only done with $4 million, that's like pocket change compare to other production cost out there. To explain "Night Watch' in its entirety would be pointless, only raising more question than answers. Then afterwards you would be looking at this review like I'm crazy.
Unfortunately, the director is clearly a veteran of music videos, and he makes the action sequences hyper kinetic and often incoherent. When he does manage to create an alluring visual, he quick-cuts, and you wish he would've had the patience to hold some of the shots longer. This hectic visual style is evident in the plotting as well, which clearly is setting up for sequels with the introduction of many characters, though some of the subplots (especially involving the cursed virgin woman and her evil vortex) seemed unnecessary. Likewise, the rushed finale seemed oddly anti-climatic and didn't pack the wallop I feel the filmmakers intended.
I'd never shook my head so much with a questionable look on my face on a film for quite some time. I also felt that they could have done a way better job towards the ending. Bekamambetov hasn't confused me too much for me to abandon his epic, but I'll probably have a better understanding when the rest comes out, if I do choose to watch it. If you're curious about this film and into Horror/Action/ Fantasy, then by all means give it a try.
 Great July 25, 2006
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Well I don't want to go into details about the movie but it was really great.It would be great for everyone to watch this movie.
 which way is up... July 25, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm not quite sure how to characterize this film, but it was not one that impressed me. The visual effects are appealing to a degree, but the constant erratic motion of the camera along with the confusing shifting of scenes and sequences left me feeling motion sick. The beginning of the movie had me hopeful with its interesting visuals, though the dialog was somewhat lacking no matter which language I watched it in. However, for all the cool effects they tried to hype it up with the movie was sadly actionless. I don't mean that it didn't measure up the kung-fu fight sequences of the matrix or its stunning camera work, I mean there was little or no action over the entire course of the film. The few sequences in the beggining and ending that did entail some forms of battle were just constant camera shifting of people getting their heads bashed in with axes or some other weapon from the dark ages. For all the boasting of shape shifters, witches, and sorcerers there was no magical or non-mundane action sequences to speak of. Maybe I should have read the book first, but this movie did not turn out to be what I expected. If you are looking for stunning action visuals, this is not the movie for you.
The trailer is better and shorter July 24, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Oh, how I wanted the critics to be wrong. The trailer was SO COOL! Alas...
Night Watch follows (sort of) the battle between the forces of Dark (Day Watch) and Light (Night Watch). The latter include Geser, the stoic leader; Olga, a white owl who disgustingly turns into a woman; Tiger Cub, a rather more attractive woman who can turn into (you guessed it) a tiger cub; Bear, a big burly Russian who can (so we're told) turn into a (yes) bear. At the center of the Night Watch forces is Anton, he of the normal name, who is a little too dark and tortured for an agent of the Light. In fact, the same can be said for all of the above, making one wonder if there is, after all, any hope for the world.
The story is, at best, oblique. It can be very difficult to follow, not because of the language translation, and most of the time, it doesn't feel worth the effort. The visual effects are outstanding, but you can see them distilled down into the 2.5 minute trailer without losing much. Ultimately, the story comes down to that of a father and son caught in the battle between Light and Dark. There is a great effort to make the story poignant and the characters likable. And, Konstantin Khabensky, as Anton, does put forth a strong performance. It's easy to believe that he is a somewhat lost soul looking for something to hold onto, to reinforce his belief in the powers of Light. However, his performance alone will not make the film more endurable. The best advice I can offer to any potential viewer is to quote Anton himself: "Be careful...damn is not just a word."
 Bangs Its Shoe On Your Screen For Attention! July 24, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Russian film industry has vaulted into the age of CGI with a delightful vampire romp that is innovative and technically accomplished. Aside from anything, the film looks and feels great, and the director's attention to detail goes beyond the abilities of most other reviewers to even notice, or correctly spell their criticism. One of the most compelling features of the film is its subtitles. This is not a film to be lazily viewed in a dubbed version, as the subtitles themselves are a major work of art and the innovative technique will be ripped off constantly over the next few years. The subtitles are an integral part of the film's plot, the words dissolving into blood as a character bleeds, or appearing with a cursor as a computer is utilized on screen. At one point the subtitles even pulse in and out to the rhythm of a faltering vampire heartbeat.
About the movie, well it's a vampire flick, basically. There are other dimensions filled with horrible brutes most of us cannot, and would not want to perceive. There is a great Russian Batmobile, it's a lumbering army truck with flames shooting out of the exhaust. Some of the scenes are postively mesmerizing, such as a vampire's view of a boy's skull as a network of blood vessels something akin to an MRI. The cuts are rapid, and jump back and forth between character perspectives. Movies are getting faster, have more cuts and more persepectives, and Night Watch is at the forefront of a trend that will test the perceptual ability of an unprepared viewer.
Night Watch would be great pick for a surprise best foreign language Oscar in much the same way Pulp Fiction surprised at Cannes.
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