Day Watch (Dnevnoi Dozor) is the second part in visionary Russian director Timur Bekmambetov’s trilogy based on Sergei Lukyanenko’s novels. Following on from 2004’s Night Watch where we were introduced to the mythology of the eternal struggle between the forces of light and the ‘others,’ the forces of evil, set against a backdrop of modern Russia, and where the others gained the upper hand in their eternal battle by uncovering the Great Dark Other, a powerful ally who could tip the balance in their favour.
Now in Day Watch we see the rising of the Great Light Other and the battle for supremacy begins, though this is no straightforward battle, rather it is one fought not only in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual. Political power plays come into force as the Dark Others try to out wit the Light with devious and underhanded plans to destroy the Great Light Other and secure the upper hand once and for all.
What made the original Night Watch stand out was the extremely high production standards and explosive visual effects, combined with an age old, but highly original storying and over the top action. Whilst Day Watch does get bogged down from time to time it follows it’s predecessors formula very well and drags you deeper into the rabbit hole spinning you senseless and causing your brain to rupture leading up to an incredible climax that will leave you gasping for the final installment.
If you can put your fear of subtitled movies to one side, Day Watch (or Night Watch if you haven’t seen it yet) will blow your mind and leave you desperate for a second viewing.
Food for thought: The central theme of this trilogy is that there are “Others” populating this world, each of which must choose their own path, be it dark or light. It begs to re-kindle the ageless debate around the question; are we free to create our own destinies, or is there a higher power determining our future?
Reviewed by: Jonathan Read. Rating: R16 – Contains Horror Scenes & Violence. Duration: 132 mins. Genre: Fantasy, Foreign, Russian. Director: Timur Bekmambetov. Actors: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Galina Tyunina, Mariya Poroshina, Valeri Zolotukhin, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Dima Martynov. Distributor: Roadshow. Release Date: Available now.
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