It is a great time to be a horror fan! Let me repeat that, it is a great time to be a horror fan! When I take the time to reflect back on my own personal, yet limited state of horror twenty-something years ago, I am aghast at the void of what I thought was my knowledge of the world, and I use that word lightly at the time, of horror. Just think of it, the landscape of my collection, although lined with the classics of Universal, Hammer, and many of the slasher flicks of the late 70’s and early 80’s, was devoid of the richer and bloodier side of the genre we all love. I was not in tune with the likes of Fulci, Argento, or Bava. I mean I probably would have had trouble even pronouncing their names right, let alone finding any of their films in my local video store. Although I must have had a sense of what was to come, because Lucio Fulci’s Zombie was the first video I ever rented back in 85, but that was it for many years. Finally, when I hit the net in the mid-90’s, my world of horror literal exploded and I became a gluten for gore. I spend countless hours and endless days searching for that which the world had withheld from me for so many years. Now I could finally consider myself, a well-rounded…beyond my waistline, horror fan. Life was good, but it was going to get a whole lot better.
Back in the late summer of 2005, I began to hear a growing buzz regard a little Russian film called Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor). At the time, my exposure to Russian cinema included VIJ, Solaris (not the George Clooney remake), and Doctor Zhivago (woops that wasn’t a Russian film, but rather about Russian history), so I was really excited to get my hands on this film in hopes of expanding my cinematic horizons. Every review I read taunted it as horror/fantasy epic without equals. What was even better, they had already released the sequel called Day Watch and had just begun filming the final film in the trilogy Dusk Watch. So if this film was half as good as everyone said, I knew I would have a three film run much like I had with the Living Dead Series (I keep repeating to myself that Land of the Dead was just a bad dream) or the Evil Dead Series. Either way, I was stoked.
So how could everyone be so wrong? When I began to watch the film, it was technically sound and had exceptional effects for a film industry barely out of its infancy. The story like anyone dealing with the battle between light and dark, good and evil seemed interesting, but it dragged terribly, heading off in weird tangents that made little sense and ultimately killed the pacing. The subtitling was hard to read and seemed disjointed in overall content. It actually took me about 5 viewing sessions over a good week to complete the film and to tell you the truth, I was kind of let down and very confused. I kept asking myself if I had missed something. What did the rest of the world see in this film that I didn’t? Finally word surfaced that Fox Searchlight would be giving this film a theatrical release which I thought was extremely cool even with my dislike of it, because I firmly believe that anytime a horror film is release; good or bad, it is good for the genre. So when one of my writers received an invitation for a screening in NYC, I decided to take a chance and see this film in all its’ true cinematic glory, well as close as I was going to get that night at the Tribeca Screening Room, I mean cinemas. I was more than willing to reinvest myself into re-viewing this film with an open mind and damn I am glad I did.
The idea for Night Watch was born deep within the pages of Sergei Lukyanenko’s highly successful novel of the same name, later to be followed by the aforementioned sequels, and brilliantly brought to life by Kazakhstan-born writer/director Timur Bekmambetov. Bekmambetov, who cut his teeth making pop commercials and music videos, could never have imagined the impact this film would have on Russian cinema, culture, and even the world. Released in the motherland during the summer of 2004, Night Watch went on to out gross both Peter Jackson’s LOTR: Return of the King and Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 2 and eventually became a contender for a 2004 foreign language Oscar.
The film begins in modern-day Moscow, a 1000 years after a great battle between the forces of light and darkness that almost lead to the extermination of both. Bound by a battlefield truce, a group of the children of the light (Night Watch) are tasked with the responsibility of monitoring the deals of their other worldly counterpart. These creatures (vampires, witches, shape-shifters, and sorcerers) of the darkness lurk in the shadows feeding upon their human prey. All the while, each side waits in earnest for the arrival of the Great One, a mythical antichrist foretold of in ancient prophecy, whose birth will shift the delicate balance and bring an end to this apocalyptic battle.
There are so many reasons to like this film. To be cliché, it really is COOL as HELL on so many levels and it is crowning achievement in the world of horror fantasy filmmaking. Bekmambetov’s visually storytelling is exquisite if not consuming at times. It is clearly evident that his many years of commercial work allowed him to understand the importance of executing a scene. So like when you are making a commercial, it is like you are making a mini–movie, where every frame propels the message and, the same style and committment can be seen in Night Watch. I will admit, the message does get little murky at times, but when you take a step back or in my case re-watch a much tighter version of the film, the message is quite powerful.
I am usually 100% against any studio screwing with a director’s vision. Most, if not all of the time, their little cuts, music insertion, and horrible dubbing usually ruins the true intention of the filmmaker. On the other hand, what Fox Searchlight did under the watchful eye of the director, was tighten up the film, trimming away the tedious and distracting fat that in my opinion clouded the original cut. Also, the new subtitling in the film is truly amazing. They were much easier on the eyes and more a part of the story. These subtitles come to life, got bigger with each tense word spoken and ripped at the junglar when needing to emphasis a point. Again they just add to the overall effectiveness of the film and its message.
Finally, over the past few years, I have had the amazing pleasure of traveling to places like Sundance and Cannes and bathing naked in the world of cinema filmmaking. I have also been lucky enough with the help of some great guys (Exhumed Films) in Philly and their unbelievable collection of film prints to see many of my favorites on the big screen. I have attended the magnificent and extremely well-organized New York City Horror Film Festival and paid witness to the future of horror. For me, it is always exciting to add a great film to my DVD collection, but an even bigger thrill is been able to experience that film the way it was intended. Luckily in the recent year, many studios are seeing the world as we do and are more willing to take chance on giving theatrical releases to non-mainstream films. I applaud the Lionsgates, Fox Searchlight, and others for being ballsy enough to give Hollywood the one finger salute and say we aren’t going to release your sub par fares any longer. Like I said in the beginning of this review, it is a great time to be a horror fan.
I highly recommend that any self-respecting fan make every effort to see this exciting and exhilarating film in the theater.
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