Night Watch

Night Watch

If you are not familiar with this film then allow me to pass on some fun Night Watch facts:

  • It's Russian!
  • It's the first of a planned trilogy!
  • It's real title is Nochnoi Dozor!
  • It's directed by a chap called Timur Bekmambetov!
  • It was Russia's highest grossing domestic film for a while!
  • It's 114 minutes long!
  • It's pretty average!

Okay so the last one isn't a fact, but just my opinion (although it could be argued that as my opinion is absolute truth – to me – then it becomes some form of fact, no?).

Night Watch begins with an opening passage straight from Lord Of The Rings – a historical lesson about the new world we are about to enter. Here we learn the world used to be constantly in a state of war, thanks to the ever-feuding forces of Light and Dark, or Day and Night. Luckily for us, eons ago they apparently negotiated a treaty that sees the vampiric Night forces policed by the Day Watchers and vice verse. It has been a tense but sturdy truce…until now. Then there's some crap about A Chosen One, and all the other by-the-numbers archetypes you'd expect from a film desperately trying to feel epic and invent a new mythology.

Perhaps you could chalk it down to a case of over-hype (the Internet movie geeks were salivating and spoofing all over it) but I couldn't help but feel that Night Watch is one of those quirky films that genre geeks are all too eager to embrace as the harbinger for a new direction in “cool” cinema – think the fanboy reaction to The Matrix. Contrary to what some geeks might tell you, Night Watch is hardly subverting in any way you would hope it to be, nor does it bring anything new to the party. It is just Underworld in Russia. I'm not sure why some keep harping on about its inventiveness in twisting a worn-out genre to something fresh, because as far as I could see they just transposed these same genre rules to a different country. While the story never excited me, the filmmakers did managed to squeeze an impressive look (very average CG but great set design and cinematography) from its relatively miniscule budget, and visually it's certainly not a boring watch, but that's the best thing I can say about it.

In fairness the Internet buzz is that the international version that I watched was totally massacred by Fox executives in an attempt to try and pitch it right at the Underworld market – removing great slabs of character and story along the way. I'm sure this happens with international films more than we realise – getting the 'Americanised' treatment. This spiffed-up Night Watch version actually goes so far as to replace a soviet cartoon a character is watching with a clip from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. So what, you might say, what's the big freaking deal? Well the big deal, you ignoramus, is that this is just another incident of the narrow-minded globalisation corporate-thinking that has them wiping all traces of this film's country of origin. The idiots are actually trying to make it a run-of-the mill American flick instead of embracing its quirks and natural distinctiveness that probably got their attention in the first place. By replacing a Russian show with Buffy, it's as if they have gone that extra mile in trying to convince those watching the horrible English dubbing that these characters are not crazy Russkies that you couldn't possible relate to, but really apple-pie loving Americans. See – they like watching Buffy – just like you!!! That, or it's just a cute pop-culture homage.

What really pisses me off about all of this is that even if you make the culturally conscientious decision to watch the film in its original language with English subtitles, they have made it an annoying struggle, as the only English subtitle available is the one for the hearing impaired. This means every time someone makes any noise, like say, opening a door, we are told there is a ‘Door Creaking' on screen. Great if you're deaf, distracting if you're not. Another disrespectful decision by the studio.

Speaking of subtitles, yet another reason this DVD is an appalling release is that it is missing what was the major talking point of its international cinema release: the crazy and inventive subtitles. One of the main reasons I was hanging to see this was that I heard it had revolutionised the very concept of subtitles in foreign films. Apparently they were imbued with personality – they leapt onto screen, changed colour to suit emotions, and were smashed away by cars driving through them – they truly became part of the mise-en-scene and feel of the film…but they were nowhere to be seen on this DVD release.

It is because of this blatant disrespect that I would be willing to give the film another go – if I chance upon it in its original form. And while I didn't exactly find the film's set-up and plot exciting or fresh, I will still watch the next instalment of the planned trilogy, as there were enough interesting visuals going on to provoke my curiosity as to what this guy could do with some serious bucks behind his ideas.