Day Watch (2006)

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Directed by Timur Bekmambetov.

Starring Vladimir Menshov, Galina Tyunina, Victor Verzhbitsky, Konstantin Khabensky, Maria Poroshina.

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The apocalyptic sci-fi thriller Day Watch (AKA {Dvevnoy Dozor: Mel Sudbi, 2006) constitutes the second installment in a planned supernatural trilogy by Russian fantasist director Timur Bekmambetov. As preceded by 2004's blockbuster Night Watch and followed by Dusk Watch, this sophomore film picks up on the byzantine tale of a world where, centuries ago, the powers of light (representing goodness) and the powers of darkness (representing evil) called a truce. Each side set up a law enforcement team to guard and monitor the other's activities - the powers of darkness established and controlled the Day Watch, while the powers of light established and controlled the Night Watch. Day Watch opens in the 14th Century, where Tamerlan, a Mongol warrior, acquires an implement called "The Chalk of Destiny," that can be used to guide the course of history. Eons later (in the present day), the Day Watch and the Night Watch are ongoing. Two Warriors of Light, Anton Gorodensky (Konstantin Khabensky) and his protégé/partner-in-training, Svetlana (Maria Poroshina) quietly develop feelings for one another as they patrol the Night Watch together. As the story progresses, the pair must respond to a distress call from an octogenarian victim of a vampiric attack - an attack committed (as it turns out) by Anton's 12-year-old son Egor (Dima Martinov) - now a Warrior of Darkness.Anton must suddenly wrestle with two conflicting desires - the need to protect his offspring by destroying incriminating evidence, and his own desire to remain loyal to the Night Watch. Several additional subplots then unfold concurrently, including that of Egor learning to practice evil from his mentor, Zavulon (Viktor Verzhbitsky), that of Anton "body swapping" with associate Olga (Galina Tyunina), and that of the relationship between a vampiric child, Kostya (Aleksei Chadov) and his dad (Valery Zolotukhin), who works as a butcher. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:B+ is the new B (Modern B Mo ...
by SkyPilot in B Movies

hasn't rated it.

"[quote user="leeroy711"] [quote user="SkyPilot"] Anyone know of a big-studio production that's as complex and fun as this? My contention is that the studios largely don't know how to pull this kind of thing off. [/quote As for a big studio producion that meet that criteria, the only thing I can think of off hand would be Wanted, although I have yet to see it, I am going off of the director's previous work with Night Watch and Day Watch which I loved. [/quote] Right you are leeroy, Wanted is a lot of fun. I had a feeling it would deliver on action thrills, but I didn't know it would be so funny! James McAvoy really impressed me as the jaded everyman, Angelina Jolie is a very believable ass-kicker, and we get to hear Morgan Freeman say a curse word (I won't say which one, that would spoil it). " [More]

Re:B+ is the new B (Modern B Mo ...
by leeroy711 in B Movies

liked it.

"[quote user="SkyPilot"] Anyone know of a big-studio production that's as complex and fun as this? My contention is that the studios largely don't know how to pull this kind of thing off. [/quote] I'm a big sucker for the post apacolyptic theme and I really like Dog Soldiers and The Descent. As for a big studio producion that meet that criteria, the only thing I can think of off hand would be Wanted, although I have yet to see it, I am going off of the director's previous work with Night Watch and Day Watch which I loved. " [More]

Assassin-ine fun
by usesoap in usesoap Blog

liked it.

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"This is the “Dilbert” panel I've always wanted to see. A fed-up office drone, sick of the confines of his cubicle, unleashes holy hell on his condescending superiors and clocks a duplicitous colleague in the jaw with his keyboard and heads out for adventure with Angelina Jolie. While “Wanted's” lead Wesley (played by James McAvoy) does just that, his character is taken from a different comic altogether. It's comic origins (based on one by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones) are felt throughout the film's reality-relinquishing first hour, until it turns on itself in the final act and decides to play things with a straight face. If only Cat-bert could have sauntered in to slap some sense into him. Let's start with the good. Wesley's life is torn straight from the pages of “Office Space:” a patronizing supervisor takes special glee in the daily ass-chewing she gives the young man, a co-worker enjoys showing Wesley's girlfriend his “O” face (if ... " [More]

Re:Top 5 Completely Over the To ...
by laylor in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"[quote user="indieabby88"] [quote user="leeroy711"] Timur Bekmambetov. directed Night Watch, Day Watch and the new Angelina Jolie movie, Wanted. All of which would have to be described as "over the top" [/quote] My goodness, yes. I haven't yet seen "Wanted," but from the clips, it looks like it's gonna be insane. That shot they show in the trailer where the guy busts through a mirrored skyscraper window...classic Bekmambetov. I didn't know at first that he was directing that movie, but once I did, it made so much sense. As long as we're on the subject of "over-the-top," why don't we put "Teeth" on the list? I just watched it. Offensive, ridiculous and comes complete with b-movie production quality. Pretty much the most disgusting movie a person could make. [/quote] Teeth is a good one! Glad you thought of it because I sure forgot. While I generally have a few problems with the film I thought the concept and how far it went was brilliant. I will bring A L'Interieur to the table. C ... " [More]

Re:Top 5 Completely Over the To ...
by indieabby88 in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"[quote user="leeroy711"] Timur Bekmambetov. directed Night Watch, Day Watch and the new Angelina Jolie movie, Wanted. All of which would have to be described as "over the top" [/quote] My goodness, yes. I haven't yet seen "Wanted," but from the clips, it looks like it's gonna be insane. That shot they show in the trailer where the guy busts through a mirrored skyscraper window...classic Bekmambetov. I didn't know at first that he was directing that movie, but once I did, it made so much sense. As long as we're on the subject of "over-the-top," why don't we put "Teeth" on the list? I just watched it. Offensive, ridiculous and comes complete with b-movie production quality. Pretty much the most disgusting movie a person could make. " [More]

Quick Day Watch DVD review
by mike_moody in Moody's Movie Blog

liked it.

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"Day Watch, the sequel to the thrilling 2004 Russian supernatural action flick Night Watch, will probably confuse fans of the original movie and alienate everyone else. That being said — er typed — director Timur Bekmambetov’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed hit is a fun, fast-paced and often inspired piece of pop moviemaking. The flick is far from perfect though, and it somehow feels a lot more hollow that its groundbreaking predecessor. Day Watch had a limited theatrical run in the U.S., but fans can now catch it on a single-disc unrated DVD with an awkward commentary by Bekmambetov and a “making of” featurette. Let’s talk visuals … It’s an understatement to call Day Watch a marvelous creative technical achievement. Bekmambetov and crew almost outdo themselves with some stunning visuals, CG and camera work here. “Day Watch” impresses not only with its incredibly implausible but mind-blowing action scenes but also w ... " [More]

Re:Top 5 Completely Over the To ...
by leeroy711 in Top 5

liked it.

"[quote user="laylor"] Obviously this applies to any genre that you think is completely over the top nuts in any way, shape or form. 1. Dead Alive Peter Jackson before he dealt in sprawling, long winded epics. This is THE zombie movie to see. Hilarious acting, hilarious catch phrases (pretty much everyone is familiar with "I kick ass for the lord!" by now, right?), and tons and tons of blood. I can hardly sit still during the custard/pus scene. Must see scene: Lawnmower vs. Zombies!!! 2. Live Free or Die Hard John McClane goes from limping around barefoot and using whatever he can find as a weapon in the first Die Hard to launching a car into a helicopter and then later wrestling with a jet plane. This movie is over the top in an amazing, I can't believe this is happening kind of way. 3. Rambo The same thing goes for Rambo as Live Free or Die Hard. Except this time he goes from setting booby traps around a forest to turning around a machine gun attatched to a jeep and blasting the ... " [More]

Day Watch (2006)
by JJ79 in JJ79 Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"According to legend, two great armies fought to a standstill on a bridge. Their leaders, Gesser and Zavulon, forged a truce which would survive the generations: neither side could actively recruit members to their side and both groups would watch each other to maintain the truce. These sides, Day Watch and Night Watch, remain in Russia to this day. Such is the backstory for "Day Watch," the second film in a trilogy based on Sergei Lukyanenko´s novels. Actually, that exposition takes place in "Night Watch" (the first film), yet it is rehashed at the beginning of this entry. And for anyone who missed the first film in it´s entirety, "Day Watch" handily recaps where we´ve been before. Still fuming at the loss of his son Yegor to Zavulon, Anton has fully embraced his role with Day Watch. He is also training a recruit thought to be a the Great Other, a woman who will tip the balance of the war end it forever. However, Svetlana and Yegor can never meet, or else the apoc ... " [More]

Re:Why I got into foreign films
by leeroy711 in Friends of Foreign Flicks

liked it.

"[quote user="Puhnner"] An interesting observation, that I completely agree with, however do you not suspect that we, here, receive only a portion of the films made in various countries? I wonder if the bulk of films out of any country are not just as bad as those produced here are ( for instance I have seen plenty of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, 'Asian' that are simply as god-awful as anything from USA )??? Are we just getting the 'cream of the crop' and basing the judgement on that? No matter, walking into a video story, closing my eyes at the foreign section and picking, I cannot imagine not pulling out something worthwhile. I think what set my interest in motion was going through a 'humanities' class which part of it was watching 'great' films and seeing that english language films made up only 2 to 3 percent of the total and thinking hmmmm, 'what the hell am I missing?' A plus to the foreign films is seeing how the particular cultures are visible through the film; dynamics of f ... " [More]

Movies that surpassed the book
by indieabby88 in The Film Library

hasn't rated it.

"I watched the trailer for the Russian sci-fi/fantasy blockbuster "Day Watch" just a little bit ago, and I started thinking about the first movie in the series, "Night Watch" and the book it was based on. I used to be a huge supporter of the "Night Watch" movie, defending it from people who said it was crap. Sure, the script and plot were lacking in a couple of places, but overall I just figured it was good fun. Then I decided to read Sergey Lukyanenko's book, off of which the movies are based. It was so freaking boring that it turned me off of the movies altogether. The book took an interesting, exciting concept and made it so bureaucratic and bland that I couldn't even finish it.So, my question is this: has anyone had an experience similar to mine? Have you seen a movie based on a book, gone back to read the original source and found that the movie (even if it wasn't that good) was better? Or the reverse: have you read a book, seen the movie, and liked the movie bette ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

The stylish Russian vampire movie Night Watch -- released anywhere from 2004 to 2006, depending on your geography -- sent the blood rushing back in to the vampire genre in a sudden surge. It can't help but be a disappointment, then, that not a single pair of pointy incisors makes an appearance in its sequel. This isn't because vampires walk at night, and Day Watch is day oriented -- in fact, the premise is that good and evil forces sleep on opposite schedules, monitoring each other to maintain the peace. Nor is it fair to expect exclusively vampire activity, since witches, shapeshifters, and other fantastical creatures also play their role in the epic struggle. But there's something bloodless about Day Watch nonetheless -- an inability to recreate the urgency of the original, despite all the character development and story advancements you'd expect from a sequel. Day Watch makes a good case that the thrill of discovery was key to the original's pleasures, and not just in terms of the world it presented; Night Watch also boasted an inspired concept for its subtitles, making them living pictorial elements that became an essential part of the viewing experience for English audiences. That gimmick returns, but without the same sense of surprise freshness, it feels perfunctory. Director Timur Bekmambetov still has a full bag of camera tricks and F/X at his disposal -- a sequence in which a car drives along the side of a skyscraper is particularly memorable. However, since Day Watch suffers from the "middle movie syndrome" that afflicts certain trilogies, these visuals tend to serve the purpose of a lot of narrative dilly-dallying. It was also unwise for Bekmambetov to try his hand at humor, as several scenes of silliness compromise what should be the series' prize weapon: its mood. Maybe the third movie -- either Twilight Watch or Dusk Watch, check your local listings -- will bring that mood back. ~ All Movie Guide

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