Day Watch

The second instalment of Timur Bekmambetov’s hot-blooded Russian vampire trilogy will need no introduction to fans of its equally hallucinogenic predecessor ‘Night Watch’. Both films burs with hyperkinetic wizardry and are set in a decaying, post-communist Russia.

Reuniting original cast and crew, ‘Day’ follows ‘Night’ where the latter left off, with a suitably complex plot involving Light Other Anton (Khabensky) and his sidekick Svetlana (Poroshina), who may or may not be the greatest Light Other [the ‘goodies’] the world has ever seen. They both work for Night Watch, a quasi-police organisation charged with keeping an eye on the always-Machiavellian movements of the Dark Others (a motley tribe of blood sucking vampires, shape-shifters, witches and warlocks) who operate a similarly vigilant Day Watch. In this episode, whoever gets hold of the Chalk of Destiny – which Anton used to devastating but unwitting effect in Night Watch – will be able to literally rewrite history. The sequel feels beefier, flashier and more sure of its grungy aesthetic (no doubt in part due to Fox’s acquisition of the trilogy) without losing the trademark Russian quirks and interactive subtitles that made the original so unique and appealing.

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