Nightwatch
With the resurgence of horror films across America, movie goers are having a heck of a time trying to figure out which ones are good, and which aren't. For these films, it definitely is not a good idea to turn to critics over the age of 30 (which accounts for nearly every single one out there, especially professional ones). You need to find someone that shares the same ideals, the same values of entertainment, and the same attitude in general towards the horror genre. Of course, there aren't many out there like this, but there are a select few (including myself).
Most critics complain that films like Nightwatch are predictable, boring, and complex. I agree with the last part. Nightwatch has a rather convoluted plot, and it can get a little confusing. However, the story never sinks into ridiculousness, and that's one aspect that has most teenagers returning to films such as this. As with Scream, we are never completely aware of whom the killer is, but we are given a wide pallet of crazy characters to choose from. Of course, there are those critics (Siskel & Ebert) who say they figured out who it was in the opening scene. How they did that is beyond me.
Nightwatch begins with a frightening scene involving a young hooker being told to play dead. In the next few minutes, she will be playing dead forever. Meanwhile, Martin Bells (Ewan McGregor, Trainspotting), the protagonist, just got a job at a mortuary. He plans to work as a nightwatchman so that he will be able to do his homework in peace and solidarity. As we can quickly figure out, this is not what will happen. Martin meets with an older security guard (Lonny Chapman), who tells him to buy a radio. At first, Martin doesn't heed his warnings, but the man's seriousness finally convinces him to listen to what he says. The guard also explains to him the different rooms, finally ending in the morgue. He then wishes Martin luck, and leaves. His first night at the mortuary is quite possibly one of the scariest moments I have seen on film.
Okay, so my personal fears probably added to my opinion of this scene, as will yours. If you aren't afraid of being alone in the dark, you won't find this terribly scary. If you are like me, this scene will scare you to the point of having nightmares for a couple days. Of course, the setting does have some influence on this effect. The atmospheric building adds incredibly to the overall suspense of the scene. One of my beliefs regarding movies like this explains the true definition of suspense. It's not having something jump out from the side of the screen (although those are fun too). Real terror is drawn from the expectations people have. After so many movies that have monsters and killers jumping and grabbing the hero, a scene like this is happily embraced by me. The audience is left expecting something to happen as Martin walks around the building making his hourly checks (the scene in the morgue is incredibly tense). What occurs may surprise you, but I'm not going to give it away in this review.
The main plot takes off when the body of the young aforementioned prostitute is brought in. The policeman in charge, Inspector Cray (Nick Nolte), explains to Martin how he knows that she is the victim of the recent serial killer ("He takes their eyes," he explains). After work, he goes home to his girlfriend Catherine (Patricia Arquette), who comments that his breath stinks. His best friend, James (Josh Brolin, Mimic), is a very aggressive guy who tells his secrets of Martin. One of which happens to be that he slept with a 17 year old hooker, Joyce (Alix Koromzay), and now he wants Martin to sleep with her. James is a thrill-seeker, and he doesn't do well at school. He compares school to a movie: Which would you rather see--a 90 minute action-packed movie with two guys, or a 90 minute movie where for the last 45 minutes, one guy sits and reads a book. I know which one I would choose.
The real plot revolves mostly around Martin's excursions at the mortuary. Martin is making his rounds when incidents begin occuring. The red alarm goes off (signaling that a body has awaken in the morgue... or is it just a short?). Several other things also happen, but I will leave that out of my review. Soon, Martin begins being setup for the murders of the prostitutes, and his relationship is falling apart before him. But, who is the real killer? Could it be Inspector Cray? Maybe he got too involved in his cases. Could it be James? His adventurous attitude and connections with hookers makes him a likely suspect. Or maybe it's Joyce, the hooker who seems to be connected with everyone. Or maybe it is the Duty Doc (Brad Dourif), a creepy and suspicious-looking guy. All these suspects, and unlike most horror films, they all pretty much remain alive until the final showdown. So, is this technically a horror film, or just a thriller? I think the line separating the two is becoming more indistinct every year.
Nightwatch, directed by Ole Bornedal, is a remake of the German film, Nattevagten, also directed by Bornedal. Usually remakes aren't as good as the original, but I haven't seen that one yet. Nightwatch, however, succeeds on more levels than it falters on. Technically, the film is brilliant. The atmospheric setting is something missing from most thrillers these days, and it's exciting to see one use settings so effectively. Do not dismiss this: Nightwatch is very scary. Outside the theater, I overheard one guy saying that it was better than Scream. The entire audience seemed to genuinely like the film. It's a real shame that Dimension Films, the same company that released the 1996 horror film, held Nightwatch back for so long (I remember seeing previews for this about a year ago). And finally when they do release it, it's only in a few hundred theaters, with no advertising. The music is loud, but not inappropriate. It sets up the film's suspenseful scenes perfectly. And, of course, the lighting. I have to make a special comment about this, mainly because it is obvious. Bornedal's use of lighting is perfect. The morgue is lit by bright, florescent lights, while the rest of the building is dim and yellow. The elevator is lit with a blue light (similar to that of The Game's elevator). This just goes to show how lighting can affect the overall mood of a scene.
The acting is quite inspired from the supporting cast. Ewan McGregor has been better before (especially in Trainspotting), but he still gives us a sympathetic character. His accent fades in and out, but it's really not that noticeable. Patricia Arquette is underused as his girlfriend, but she does provide a very realistic character. Alix Koromzay gives a very effective performance as the young hooker, and I was hoping to see more of her. And of course, there are three standouts. Nick Nolte, despite what most critics say, is actually quite good. Nolte's portrayal of the aging cop is perfect and haunting. Brad Dourif gives a tongue-in-cheek performance, the only one in the film. Dourif is highly underused, and his character is very scary. But Josh Brolin steals the film here. Brolin goes over-the-top, but still maintains believability. His complex character makes us second guess ourselves at every turn. Of course, the screenplay goes to great lengths to make us believe that Brolin is the killer that if he did turn out to be guilty, it would be a shock (but that may be what Bornedal was going for).
And now, the flaws. Well, for one thing, the killer is revealed far too early. Thankfully, though, Bornedal makes the revelation relevant to the story, and it isn't a huge surprise as it was in Scream. It's done in a normal way, without any changing characters (you know, going from nice and pleasant to mad and freakish). The screenplay is probably the major flaw in the film. The dialogue is fine, but the plot is unsteady and wobbles along. The plot twists are hard to comprehend, and some characters are undeveloped. And with these types of films, a good screenplay is essential.
Nightwatch is rated R for strong, morbid violence, language, sexuality, brief male nudity (full frontal) and some drug content. Remember that line in Scream, "If you pause [All The Right Moves] at the right time, you can see [Tom Cruise's] penis?" That describes the male nudity (Ewan McGregor exposes everything for a split second... but that was enough). Most of the nudity comes from corpses uncovered in the morgue. Of course, the violence is extreme, though not to the extent of slasher-movie gore. Most of what you see is either suggestive, or previously inflicted. Overall, I recommend this film if you are looking for a good time Friday night. You won't remember it Sunday morning, but sometimes that's what films are meant to do.