NIGHTWATCH Reviewed by Jamie Peck ------------------------------------------------------------------------Rating: **1/2 (out of ****) Dimension / 1:45 / 1998 / R (language, violence, corpse nudity, elements of necrophilia) Cast: Ewan McGregor; Josh Brolin; Patricia Arquette; Nick Nolte; Lauren Graham; Alix Koromzay; Brad Dourif; John C. Reilly Director: Ole Bornedal Screenplay: Ole Bornedal; Steven Soderbergh ------------------------------------------------------------------------After sitting on a shelf for well over a year, Ole Bornedal's "Nightwatch" is finally being released with little fanfare. Word had it that Dimension Films, the movie's distributor, smelled a big dud and waited until the competition was weak to see it open. But because "Nightwatch" is actually a decent thriller, it's probably closer to the truth to say that the studio was eager to see their film ride the coattails of star Ewan McGregor -- soon to be seen as a young Ben Kenobi in George Lucas' "Star Wars" prequels -- to a moderate, brisk payoff. Either way, modern horror is in thanks to the "Scream" films, and "Nightwatch" creates a suitably scary atmosphere that renders it watchable even when the plot degenerates into a blood-soaked mess. An eyeball here, a severed thumb there -- when everything turns gory, who needs a coherent story?
In this reworking of Bornedal's Dutch "Nattevagten," McGregor plays Martin Bells, a young law student strapped for cash and study time. A job as the night watchman of the local morgue appears to give him the solution to both of his problems -- until, that is, strange things begin to happen. A serial killer is leaving his mark on the city, and his victims' bodies appear to have a life of their own. Making matters worse is a series of clues that leads the investigator (Nick Nolte) in charge of the case to suspect that Martin is the mastermind behind the murders. While Martin slowly realizes he's obviously the victim of a set-up, distrust falls on all those around him. Is the real killer his tough-guy best friend (Josh Brolin)? Is it the seemingly sinister mortician (Brad Dourif) who keeps late hours? Does his dedicated girlfriend (Patricia Arquette) know more than she lets on? Maybe, maybe not.
It's very easy to peg the identity of "Nightwatch"'s resident psycho, so much that another character becomes a red herring to the obvious extreme. (For the record, I had everything correctly figured out a half-hour in, and I'm usually not that ahead of the ball.) This would have been acceptable had the movie not run out of surprises at its midpoint, but "Nightwatch" reveals too much too soon and grinds to a halt thereafter. When the murderer explicitly makes himself known by stepping out from behind a bathroom door, you think, "Yeah, and ... ?", and anticipate a few more twists that are maddeningly never delivered. When all is finally out in the open about the him and his past, ask yourself how he got where he is now, or how he plans to get away with what he does in the movie's climax. "Nightwatch"'s convoluted tale sports a whole lotta holes -- it's definitely not for theatrical nitpickers.
On the other hand, "Nightwatch" does offer some resilience. As far as sheer, creepy ambience is concerned, the movie's got the most effective feel since "Seven." The morgue is where most of "Nightwatch" unfolds, and the film actually works the best when it lets McGregor roam its eerily fluorescent-lit halls in nervous silence; some of these sequences are so genuinely frightening that you wish they were put to use in a better movie. The same goes for the camaraderie between the well-played McGregor and Brolin characters -- they're constantly trying to one-up each other with dares, practical jokes and other games. It's an interesting friendship, one, of course, that will serve the serial killer storyline before everything is over. The cast does fine work, even when some players (particularly Arquette) are underused. These strengths outweigh the flaws, but just barely. While "Nightwatch" may end with a whimper, at least it starts out with a bang. ------------------------------------------------------------------------© 1998 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "Suggestions, please, for the fourth movie in the series. How about ‘Look Who's Talking Back,' in which the audience gets its turn?" -- Roger Ebert on "Look Who's Talking Now"
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