Night Watch: A Very Watchable, Enjoyable Film

This Russian made action-thriller, released in 2006, was a monstrously huge hit in its homeland. The first in a series of three, Nochnoy Dozor, as it was originally titled, brought in more money than any other Russian film. In America, its limited release had somewhat dampened its financial prospects.

In 1342, two powerful vampire factions, the Warriors of Light and the Warriors of Darkness, engage in a pitched battle of such violence and destruction that their leaders forge a truce to preserve the species. Each side creates a team to ensure the other side follows the rules of the truce. These enforcement teams are made up of "Others", mortals with special powers, shape-shifters and vampires. The Warriors of Light follow the path of good and as such, create the Night Watch to keep the peace and protect the innocent during the hours of darkness. The Warrior of Darkness, on the other hand, are evil and form the Day Watch to keep an eye on their enemies and wreak as much havoc during the day as they can.

Fast-forwarding to the year 1992, the movie is set in Moscow and follows the actions of Anton Gorodensky, played by Konstantin Khabensky. Anton is worried that his girlfriend is pregnant with another man's child so he seeks the help of a witch to make her return. It's during this encounter that he discovers that he is an Other, as well as setting into motion a series of unpleasant and far-reaching events.

Moving forward again, this time to present-day Moscow, we find Anton is now a full-time Other on the Night Watch. On one of his patrols, he encounters a young boy, named Yegor, being attacked by a vampire. In his effort to save the boy, Anton kills his attacker. As Anton returns home, he comes across Svetlana, played by Maria Poroshina, who seems to be a powerful instrument of evil. Shortly after this, we learn of an ancient prophecy predicting the arrival of an ultra-powerful Other, who would tip the balance of power between the rival vampire factions. Could Svetlana or Yegor somehow be a part of this cataclysmic event?