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Night Watch
Night Watch
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Night Watch

Night Watch

2004
Suspense/Thriller, Fantasy
1h 54m
Night Watch is the first installment of a trilogy based on the best-selling Russian sci-fi novels of Sergei Lukyanenko (which also includes Day Watch and Dusk Watch). This visionary horror fantasy film features a dazzling mix of mind-blowing effects, adrenaline-fuelled action and suspenseful terror. (Fox Searchlight)

Night Watch

2004
Suspense/Thriller, Fantasy
1h 54m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 46.11% from 2400 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2410)
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Rated 05 Dec 2009
3
9th
Action Porn. I mean that's all Bekmambetov really cares about, he's a terrible storyteller and one of the worst directors I've seen (and I thought "Wanted" was bad). I won't lie, I gave up halfway through, I just DIDN'T CARE. This movie thinks it's cool which it isn't, and if you like it, you'll hate yourself afterwards.
Rated 07 Jul 2014
64
45th
In Soviet Russia, night watches you! I enjoyed this if only because you have to squint at the screen sometimes to try and make sense of the boatload of plot points. I saw the sequel, Day Watch, and have no idea if any of the same characters or plot points make appearances. I liked this less than 1994's Nightwatch from Denmark, and I liked that less than the same director's American remake in 1997. And, as always, I'm sorry about the Yakov Smirnoff reference.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
49
7th
Yeah, you're so edgy mr. Russian director guy! What's going on? I'm sorry I asked cuz you're so edgy!
Rated 17 Mar 2022
45
8th
Intermittently interesting thanks to some nice cinematography, and an oppressive, run-down feel to the environs that creates a nice atmosphere, but nearly completely undone by a needlessly convoluted, at times incomprehensible sense of story telling; may well improve on a second viewing with the destination clearer, but it’s almost a question as to whether it would be worth the effort.
Rated 23 May 2012
75
44th
Definitely style over substance with all sorts of flashy scenes and vampires doing things because they look cool rather than because they're effective. The mythology is also pretty strained and nonsensical. Even so, it was fun.
Rated 10 Oct 2010
66
51st
This may losing something in translation, or perhaps the writing just isn't up to snuff. You cannot knock it however for ambition and originality. Worth a look.
Rated 06 Jul 2009
1
10th
A chaotic mess.
Rated 06 Nov 2008
95
98th
The editting and cinematography alone are two magnificent reasons to watch this film. When you also throw in an egaging story of wild fantasy set in a familiar backdrop, stunning set pieces, and a hero with whom you feel a strong bond throughout, this is one of the best films I've seen in recent times. Visually stunning (even the subtitles add something to the feel of the dialogue) without sacraficing substance, Hollywood could learn a thing or three from this.
Rated 12 Apr 2008
71
44th
I can appreciate the "Fuck what it looks like, lets have more CG than Toy Story" mentality, because while it does look bad a lot of the time, it's still a lot of fun to watch with some suspension of belief. The plot is terrible and confusing, but who cares; it's not any worse than the Matrix.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
39
10th
Light vs. Dark. They fight over this kid that will lead either side to salvation. The kid doesn't like the side of the Light because they like lie or something. But the ENTIRE FATE OF HUMANITY depends on his decision. And there is this like girl that controls a power company and makes this huge windmill effect happens over the city, but like that isn't really important to the plot.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
77
66th
It's really good for the budget and I enjoyed a lot of the camera work but quite a few parts were rather confusing. The movie's rules aren't really explained properly so it's hard to get fully wrapped into the film.
Rated 16 Jun 2007
61
41st
Parts of it don't make a whole lot of sense, probably just because they weren't explained particularly well, and it seems to go off on irrelevant tangents sometimes. BUT, it's definitely fun to watch, pretty impressive visually considering the budget, and I really dig the ending. Honestly, this is probably not a very good movie, but I've decided I like it, and look forward to the rest of the series.
Rated 20 Jan 2007
78
63rd
Kind of like the book Good Omens mixed with standard vampire stuff. In the first ten minutes, the film steals from LOTR, Matrix, David Fincher and more. It continues leaning very heavily on the Matrix style, tinged with MTV influences: lots of quick cuts/zooms, overkill slo-mo, C.S.I.-type close-ups of mechanical processes. But it all comes together in a way that's entertaining and manages to feel fresh, while simultaneously being a rip-off of the past 10 years of Hollywood action/drama.
Rated 14 Dec 2006
90
65th
An interesting story about vampires and witches and so forth, in Russian, with awesome subtitles. A blast to watch under any circumstances.
Rated 09 Nov 2021
76
59th
Оценка - 70 Общая - 81 Нарратив - 2 Сценарий - 2 Режиссура - 4 Постановка - 3 Целостность - 2 Монтаж - 3 Выполнение своей цели - 3 Флоу - 2 Жанр - 4 Культовость - 1 Сцены - 1 Личное - 3 Атмосфера - 4 Эмоции - 3 Актерская игра - 3 Саундтрек - 3 Синематографи - 3 Визуал - 4 Звук - 1 Продакшн дизайн - 4 Костюм
Rated 28 Oct 2021
63
17th
It might not make it into the history books, but it is a nice change from the usual take on Gothic fantasy films, the itsy-bitsy monochromatic genre that it is. Worth watching for its rampant alcoholism, drunken camera takes, high production value, and what-the-hell oddities. It's a zinger!
Rated 17 Apr 2019
70
46th
Top badass moment? It's not Twilight. I drunk several shots of 20 year old Vladivar Imperial Vodka (57%) to prepare myself for this film. Didn’t help; it was a confusing muddle, especially the parts I drunkenly fell asleep through. That'll teach me for drinking Scottish vodka instead of the real thing. So I tried watching it again sober. Nope, still baffling. I think it had something to do with issuing licenses to allow vampires to kill people. 1 sort of decapitation, no cats or chainsaws.
Rated 24 Nov 2017
81
37th
Night Watch is a fun ride with the story takes a bit of a back seat to some amazing visuals.
Rated 05 Nov 2017
64
61st
Quite enjoyable sci-fi/fantasy/thriller which is well made. The effects and imaginative fantasy elements are all really well done and are certainly the highlight of the film. The rather simple story and weakish character development is what keeps this good movie from being a great movie.
Rated 19 Apr 2016
20
0th
Ugly and dumb and absolutely exhausting. One wishes that just a tiny bit of restraint was used, and that the filmmakers didn't believe so fervently in the ridiculous mythology they are trying to create.
Rated 06 Jul 2015
80
62nd
The eternal fight between light and dark plays out in Night Watch, the first in a trilogy. The movie has plenty of creepy and cool imagery(Spine sword was probably one of the coolest moments in the movie.) that helps make the movie unique instead of your normal good vs. evil sci-fi/horror fare. I am pretty interested to see the rest of the series. I want to find out what happens to Yegor, the young boy. I want to see how the war between light and dark plays out.
Rated 23 Jan 2015
69
18th
the movie meandered a lot. I really didn't know what to do with it, it was mentally exhausting trying to keep up honestly. The concepts shown were fun, but there was no substance. Really the only thing I remember about this movie is that he gets drunk off of blood which is interesting, stupid, but interesting.
Rated 07 Aug 2014
84
57th
This is a fun ride until about an hour and a half in, when the curse is taken care of. That turn in the story dropped what would have been a more generous score from me. The action was artistically handled (think Romeo Juliet, 1996), which more than made up for what seemed like a lower-than-Hollywood budget. It's a fair take on the classic good-vs-evil story. The acting and sound track will not overwhelm; it is the artistic direction and cinematography that captivates.
Rated 18 Apr 2014
55
23rd
I had a pretty hard time understanding large chunks of the story, and I thought the fight scenes tended to be pretty badly edited. I would just let my eyes glaze over, take in no information, then piece together what had happened in the fight once it was over. On the plus side, the movie has some pretty good CGI for a 2004 movie, and they did some really creative things with the presentation of the English subtitles. But I'm kinda surprised this was the highest-grossing Russian movie of all time
Rated 29 Mar 2014
30
7th
Night Watch might be the most damning example of franchise nonsense in world cinema. The fantasy conceits presented are repulsively manufactured in appearance, with the eternal battle between the light and the dark sunglasses-adorned vampires that makes me bored even describing right now. Bekmambetov's style is an utterly obnoxious flurry of "Isn't this creative?" shots that carry no thematic or narrative purpose. And then I'm expected to watch another movie to understand anything. Garbage.
Rated 06 Aug 2013
73
37th
With so many Good vs. Evil/Light vs. Dark and secret supernatural world type of movies, it's hard to find one that stands out. Night Watch takes an original turn with this genre and does so with a great use of motifs and theming, but the plot didn't work out as well as it could have. The subplots never really blossom. The visuals were great, but the execution was poor.
Rated 27 Jun 2012
67
38th
66.500
Rated 28 Dec 2011
70
37th
It's an action movie. Lots of people chasing around, fighting, and stuff like that. The use of subtitles in the version I saw (I don't golov the russki) were inventive. Whoever did them deserves a lot of credit.
Rated 26 Oct 2011
15
21st
"The preponderance of elaborate mumbo jumbo becomes an unbearable drag." - Nick Schager
Rated 29 Jun 2011
1
6th
It's as if the already weak plot only serves the ridiculous and showy special effects.
Rated 02 Apr 2011
83
41st
The plot mainly serving as a vehicle to drive the film's plethora of special effect shots, Nochnoy Dozor is an odd film, a movie that tries very hard to make you fall in love with its wide selection of characters, that you ultimately feel bad when it fails. Still, the actors perform great and good intentions bypass the shallow and sometimes barely noticeable plot. A sci-fi action film set in Russia is unique and there's plenty of creative shots to look at. Just go in with low expectations.
Rated 30 Mar 2011
85
87th
I have just seen the reviews section for this and there are probably twice as many 'Haters' than 'Lovers'. This confused me as I don't see how a Russian Vampire film with an awsome concept, original effects and good story can have so many people moaning?? Yes, most of them complained that it wasn't like 'Blade' and it was subtitled. BLADE WAS SHIT AND ITS A FOREIGN FILM!!! Anyway, I liked it :) Make sure to get Day Watch to continue the triology.
Rated 09 Mar 2011
19
3rd
The coolest subtitles I've ever seen, but that was about the only cool thing in this movie.
Rated 05 Dec 2010
50
28th
Bekmambetov (which is a funny name...) has trouble converting a very complex and interesting universe from book into film. There are too many characters in too short an amount of time and they end up lacking depth and...well, character. Also the film would be better of with a less fancy cinematography and fewer yellow buses flying around.
Rated 24 Nov 2010
60
27th
It delivered with what it particularly set out to accomplish - entertainment. More or less comparable with other meaningless parallels within the genre. It was a good looking picture, maybe a little too cute and pumped up for what it was truly worth.
Rated 09 Sep 2010
100
87th
Muy buena para ser rusa
Rated 19 Aug 2010
90
66th
Creative, suspenseful, gory and lots of great action made this a pleasure to watch. Looking forward to seeing the sequels. Highly recommended!
Rated 06 Jul 2010
88
58th
a good sci-fi scenario, spec effects.. war of good and evil. starts good and ends better. dont pass the credits.. surprise scene of the next film..
Rated 15 Jun 2010
80
87th
russio can into sci-fi horror
Rated 28 May 2010
55
31st
It's a cool looking movie, but too vague to follow at times. There was enough there to figure out what was going on, but not enough for me to care.
Rated 27 Feb 2010
44
6th
If there were any attempt at all to build characters and give them some identity beyond their mythical role, and if the style of the film wasn't of the Luc Besson in-your-face school, they might have had something here. Instead, it's a gory mess that chokes on its own backstory. I'm not averse to a trilogy of films about a battle between forces of Lightness and Darkness with vampires and Others and vortexes and whatnot, but settle down buds.
Rated 23 Feb 2010
80
13th
good stuff, need to watch the sequel (Day Watch) and then probably wait for the last in the trilogy for it to all come together.
Rated 17 Feb 2010
78
66th
As with the sequel it's extremely opaque and dense, the same goes for the great action and special effects. There's no doubt that Bekmambetov has his hands on something special with this series. Also I've never seen subtitles used in a creative and entertaining way as this series does.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
80
69th
Liked this movies take on the struggle of good vs evil an original film worth watching. Does drag on a little near the end.
Rated 15 Dec 2009
40
40th
Aright, so the characters are basically cardboard cutouts, but it's a fairy tale, and god damn is it cool. Amazing visuals and really interesting world. Bekmambetov's films may be a bit hollow, but there is no shortage of mindblowing concepts in them.
Rated 25 Sep 2009
70
10th
This first part of the russian fantasy trilogy is mindblowing in it's special effect sequences. They are clearly originated from the origins of a particular culture which is not anglo-american for a change. However the film is messy and hard to understand as well due the alienated storytelling style and the fact that it's only a setup for the trilogy. This film with a story of eternal good and bad probably makes a lot more sense when watched with the entire trilogy....if it ever gets made.
Rated 16 Sep 2009
20
4th
I feel like I was just on drugs for two hours.
Rated 27 Aug 2009
23
1st
I don't like it one bit.
Rated 22 Jul 2009
67
48th
Better than Day Watch, but still a bit disappointed.
Rated 05 Jul 2009
90
67th
Awesome imagery, and entertaining as hell!
Rated 06 Jun 2009
95
66th
An amazingly dark, complex and visually stunning movie from Russia.
Rated 27 Apr 2009
69
25th
Somewhat interesting movie even if it relies more on style than storytelling. Features the best subtitling work I've seen yet.
Rated 26 Apr 2009
65
33rd
Timor hates magic, makes crazy physics.
Rated 21 Mar 2009
40
33rd
Inordinately hard to follow.
Rated 28 Feb 2009
60
12th
Unfaithful to original books, but distorts them in an interesting way. Also it has a distinct "Russian blockbuster" scent of improbability. Bad transfer to screen is better than no transfer at all, I guess.
Rated 29 Dec 2008
88
88th
Super-crazy Russian film that is a clear ode to American schlock sci-fi, but really seamlessly blends the Star Wars with the Gogol. Very cool.
Rated 23 Dec 2008
80
57th
Loud and dumb, but pretty visually inventive.
Rated 06 Dec 2008
88
75th
One of the best movies of Russia in a decade
Rated 18 Oct 2008
100
98th
Wow. This is a amazing film from Russia. Set in modern day Moscow this is about the supernatural armies of Light and Dark (good and evil) and the battles they have and will face. This is stylish and gritty and don't let the idea of subtitles be a put of as this does deserve a look. This film is perfectly cast and directed.A great start to the trilogy
Rated 16 Oct 2008
90
90th
Russian cinema shows that it could beat Hollywood anytime. Night Watch is a brilliant display of cinematography, visual effects and an epic story set in modern day.
Rated 15 Oct 2008
1
10th
I couldn't wait for this to be over. Aesthetically, it's absolutely electrifying. Although I couldn't stand the way the subtitles were integrated into the film at first, I eventually got used to it and started to enjoy it. But the plot is an absolute mess. I felt like I was watching a deleted scene reel from Constantine or something.
Rated 09 Oct 2008
90
92nd
mutlaka izlenmeli
Rated 08 Sep 2008
60
24th
Starts promising in first 20 minutes with digital effects and camera angles but somehow turns into a mediocore "vampire movie". Story is kinda interesting but script isn't as good as storyline. I give 10 points only for it's not hollywood movie. Conclusion: Not that hot!
Rated 15 Aug 2008
80
83rd
This is the beginning of the saga of the traditional war between light and darkness. Movie is rich with effects and catchy scenes. All charecters are interesting and the entire fantasy world is ingenious. Plot with several sub plots runs fine, though time after time you have to be extremely focused to not the loose strings from your hands, because we're dealing with several moments of history at the same time one sliding into an another. The international version was not very successful.
Rated 10 Aug 2008
94
37th
loved it .....can't wait to see the others......
Rated 01 Aug 2008
88
55th
It's a pretty decent action flick. You might be able to follow the plot better if you read the books...
Rated 04 Jul 2008
31
10th
Incomprehensible.
Rated 30 Mar 2008
80
57th
Trashy, but oh, such fun.
Rated 10 Mar 2008
30
22nd
Nice effects, but the movie is hard to follow and short on story...
Rated 29 Feb 2008
95
75th
A movie that you cannot understand completely unless you watch it a couple of times.. And the best thing is it's not American and it's original..
Rated 22 Feb 2008
90
94th
Awesome visual movie about the battle between good and evil. I was slightly confused at parts but loved this movie
Rated 22 Aug 2007
70
40th
didn't make much sense, but it looked cool.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
78
82nd
The plot jumps around, some stuff never gets explained, and the translation is terrible (the "Gloom" ... ooh, that's scary). BUT, the photography is a slick as hell and the story has a lot of potential. Hope Day Watch smooths out the wrinkles. (Edit: it didn't)
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
31st
I expected so much more. Very, very confusing even I understand little russian...
Rated 14 Aug 2007
71
78th
I'm very conflicted. As stated, the rules of the Nightwatch and Daywatch aren't outlined well, so you have to guess at a lot of stuff. Nevertheless, the movie radiates cool.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
39
5th
Great special effects, shitty movie
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
95th
nice genres :P
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
1st
i just didn't like it. subtitles sucked, so did voice-over
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
79th
really cool as long as you watch with subtitles.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
15th
Very interesting take on good versus evil/light versus dark/night versus day. Wish I could have read the book first.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
69
46th
It's often a bit too hard to follow for it's own good, but at least it looks nice and has a good plot.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
61st
Not bad, not bad. Not great, the F***ed up subtitles on the DVD (at least on mine) is a huge let down because at the movies they were wuite creative with them, good film but can't watch it very often otherwise it wears thin.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
35th
Intersting russian view of epic fantasy in modern world. Trilogy promissed, but first part is not that good. Bravo for Russian effect school.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
45th
Strange but watchable.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
70th
i enjoyed it. there are elements of russian folklore, and the ending is puzzling due to that fact. besides...it has vampires.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
18th
null
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
36th
For those that enjoy these kinds of movies, it may not make total sense, but it does dish up enough of the goods you expect to justify at least one viewing, playing like a quasi-complex popcorn movie with a goofy personality to temper the darkness in the material.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
35th
great effects but lame plot
Rated 07 Aug 2007
90
86th
Hyper kinetic action horror at its best.
Rated 27 May 2007
75
75th
Wonderfully original vampire fantasy.
Rated 02 May 2007
10
9th
Incoherent and non-sensical with a smattering of beautiful images.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
61
28th
Average movie with cool visuals and an interesting story. Probably will get better as the series goes on.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
45
25th
Not bad.
Rated 01 Feb 2007
79
48th
Very impressive, especially if you consider the budget. The only things I didn't really like are that Bekmambetov is trying so hard to direct like Fincher I felt almost embarassed for him and that the story can get very confusing. The unholywoodness of "Night Watch" is very refreshing.
Rated 30 Jan 2007
80
76th
I haven't had this much fun with an action film in a long time. It is extremely stylish and fun, while not completely without flaws and certainly not the most original film on the block, but it doesn't matter; it's definitely an awesome sight to behold.
Rated 06 Dec 2006
85
77th
sinemada (2)
Rated 27 Nov 2006
70
29th
So much potential in this series, the ending of this first one is a bit anti-climactic but the story is genuinely original and i'm expecting big things when the trilogy is complete.

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