Day Watch

When Night Watch was released in its native Russia in 2004, it broke all domestic box office records and made the transition to our screens a year later via a deal struck by Fox Searchlight which enforced an editing of the original to be more palatable to the Blade/Underworld demographic, but in turn agreed to fund the trilogy that director Timur Bekmambetov is now near to completing. The release of Day Watch (or Dnevnoy Dozor) continues the origins created in its prequel with the forces of light and dark, having previously declared a truce and created a police state whereby Day (Evil) and Night (Good) "Watchers" patrol and observe their opposing numbers ensuring balance is kept. This equilibrium is plunged into turmoil again when the film's MacGuffin "The Chalk of Fate" threatens to be handed into the hands of the Day Watch with potentially apocalyptic consequences.

One of the continuing traits of this series is, unique to the Fox Searchlight releases, an innovative use of subtitling that dissolves and fades around the sense of the words that are being said (think Man on Fire without the Tony Scott histrionics!). Such flourishes at times pull your attention away from the fact that what is being said is hugely confusing and this over-long film unfortunately falls foul of its own style over substance approach with each action beat underscored by ridiculous sub-Bizkit rawk music and a focus firmly placed on the redemptive qualities of love between vampires as opposed to the blood-letting that it often threatens but never delivers. A mildly interesting diversion for fans of the first, a needless sequel for the uninitiated.

Released 5th October 2007 by Fox Searchlight.

Written by Simon Cole.