Day Watch

views updated

Day Watch ★★★ Dnevnoi Dozor: Mel Sudbi 2006 (R)

Vampires, chases, explosions, “Matrix”-style fight scenes, and just a touch of post-Communist allegory make this an incoherent but fun ride. Two factions of Moscow vampires (“Darks” and “Lights”) struggle to manage an uneasy truce as an inevitable conflict rises. Good-guy vamp Anton (Khabensky) is torn between two rising powers: his lover Svetlana (Poroshina) on one side and his increasingly evil son Yegor (Martynov) on the other. Non-stop action sequences make up for the thin plot but what really stands out is the creative characterization and innovative direction. Sequel to 2004's “Night Watch.” 132m/C DVD . RU Konstantin Khabensky, Maria Poroshina, Vladimir Menshov, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Galina Tyunina, Alexsei Chadov, Dima Martinov, Valery Zolotukhin; D: Timur Bekmambetov; W: Timur Bekmambetov, Sergei Lukyanenko, Aleksandr Talal; C: Sergei Trofimov; M: Yuri Potyeyenko.