Movie Review: The Night Watch

Two thumbs up!  (Me + Sarah)

It's hard to pigeonhole this movie.  It's not really sci-fi, it's not really fantasy, it's not a traditional thriller.  You could call it a modern "end of days"-type scenario although it's not really that either.

The premise: a thousand years ago the forces of Good & Evil made a truce.  A group of evil people watch over the good guys to make sure they honor the truce; they're known as the Day Watch.  A group of good people watch over the bad guys to make sure they honor the truce; they're known as the Night Watch.  According to the agreement, at the end of 1,000 years, an incredibly powerful person will come along.  That person must choose either good or evil.  That side wins.

Skip to modern-day Moscow.  If the End of Times is going to start somewhere, odds are it will be in Russia.

The movie is an awesome mix of fantasy and thriller.  There are vampires, but with a few interesting twists.  The special effects are awesome, but are only used for dramatic effect (never gratuitous).  Not only is it more artistic than an American thriller, but, predictably, it's more sophisticated too.  (European movies are usually more sophisticated than American movies.) This movie has a very low gross factor, which I appreciate.  Instead, it relies on more cerebral forms of suspense.   There's a fantastic scene where a cursed woman is interacting with her neighbors, a young man and an old woman.  The young man shows the cursed woman a puppy he just bought.  Through the entire scene, you're afraid she'll touch the puppy (which would curse it).  She doesn't.  But at the very end of the scene, she pats the old woman on the shoulder.

Oh, and it's a trilogy.  I can't wait for Part II.