Nightwatch

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Nightwatch

R

1998

1h 41m

Horror

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Law student Martin Bells (Ewan McGregor) needs to make some money, and so he takes a side job as a night watchman in a morgue. He thinks he'll have time to study, but with a serial killer on the loose -- one with a propensity for necrophilia -- he has to be more alert than ever. While at work, Martin starts putting together the clues and realizes that the police, including Inspector Thomas Cray (Nick Nolte), have good reason to make him their prime suspect.

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Critics Consensus

Nightwatch loses much of what made its inspiration entertaining - and proves that when remaking a foreign film, hiring the original director is no guarantee of success.

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Sheila Johnston

Independent (UK)

Dec 3, 2018

A nifty little psycho-thriller from Denmark.

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Mike Clark

USA Today

Jan 9, 2018

1.5/4

The much-delayed thriller Nightwatch, a remake of a Danish film, has been collecting dust. The reason is apparent: It's dreadful,

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

It's a visually effective and often scary film to watch, but the story is so leaky that we finally just give up: Scene after scene exists only to toy with us and prop up the impossible plot.

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Carolyn Hinds

Black Girl Nerds

Aug 5, 2021

Even though the murders were the main driving force of the plot, the lack of a clear motive or pulse pounding tension makes Nightwatch come across as a parody like Scary Movie rather than a classic like Scream.

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Quentin Curtis

Independent on Sunday

Dec 3, 2018

Though laboured in its exposition, and at times sadistic, the movie paints a luridly disturbing portrait of male aggression. And the dialogue contains odd shafts of insight.

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Film Threat

Dec 6, 2005

2.5/5

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Judson E

@RT68984096 Jan 26, 2025

This is an underrated movie. I love the setting, i think it has a lot more potential but the creepy setting and a lot of cameos from great character actors makes this movie an enjoyable watch. The score is pretty good along with cinematography, and acting is great. It isn't a great movie by any stretch but it will stick with you because of the eerie morgue setting and a lot of weird moments that make you think. It is definitely worth a watch at least once.

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Weston L

@RT68249758 Jan 12, 2025

This was one of the most irritating slogs of a movie I've ever seen. Josh Brolin had some cool moments but nothing worth watching as it made a 90 minute movie feel like a eight season soap opera of wannabe horror. Can't call it a thriller as there is nothing thrilling about it.

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Apr 21, 2024

This film had lots of close-ups shots which I liked, which made it feel more intimate. Lovely camera movement and fantastic locations. It had a slight ‘modern’ noir look which was really nice. It has excellent sound design throughout. Almost nothing to even slightly complain about from the audio department. The story started so scary and horrible but slowly became an interesting murder mystery. The killer was revealed a little too early and this made the ending less exciting than it should be. I wish that there was more supernatural horror. Still enjoyable enough noir crime thriller.

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KB B

@Okbullard Oct 22, 2023

It wasn't that good. I wouldn't bother with this one.

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Farah R

@Farah Oct 13, 2023

Nightwatch proves that an intriguing plot and good actors can't save a film from its lousy writing.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Sep 20, 2023

Effectively creepy but not much else.

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Ole Bornedal

Director

Ewan McGregor

Martin Bells

Nick Nolte

Inspector Thomas Cray

Josh Brolin

James Gallman

Patricia Arquette

Katherine

Alix Koromzay

Joyce

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55%

40%

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Synopsis

Law student Martin Bells (Ewan McGregor) needs to make some money, and so he takes a side job as a night watchman in a morgue. He thinks he'll have time to study, but with a serial killer on the loose -- one with a propensity for necrophilia -- he has to be more alert than ever. While at work, Martin starts putting together the clues and realizes that the police, including Inspector Thomas Cray (Nick Nolte), have good reason to make him their prime suspect.

Director: Ole Bornedal
Producer: Michael Obel
Screenwriter: Ole Bornedal, Steven Soderbergh
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Dimension Films
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.2M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

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