Nattevagten (1994)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Ole Bornedal

Writer:

Ole Bornedal (writer)

Release Date:

25 February 1994 (Denmark)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

De søger en nattevagt, Martin er ikke mørkeræd, han har kun et problem... han får jobbet !

Plot:

In order to finance his law studies, Martin starts as a night watchman in a mortuary. When the victims...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Serial Killer | Student | Prostitute | Nudity

Awards:

10 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Martin
Sofie Gråbøl	...	Kalinka
Kim Bodnia	...	Jens
Lotte Andersen	...	Lotte
Ulf Pilgaard	...	Inspector Wörmer
Rikke Louise Andersson	...	Joyce
Stig Hoffmeyer	...	Rolf
Gyrd Løfquist	...	The Old Nightwatch
Niels Anders Thorn	...	The Doctor
Leif Adolfsson	...	Theater Instructor
Henrik Fiig	...	Actor
Jesper Hyldegaard	...	Bar Guest
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Pub Thug #1
Christian Friis	...	Pub Thug #2 (as Chris Friis)
Peter Rygaard	...	Servant

Also Known As:

Nightwatch

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Thura Film

Quotes:

Martin: You know what Hans Christian Andersen did? Every time he had masturbated he wrote a little X in his diary
Jens: If I had written down an X every time I had masturbated, there wouldn't be any pencils left in the whole wide world

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

A flawless thriller that would've made Hitchcock proud

Nattevagten (1994) (aka Nightwatch) is a stylish thriller/horror from Denmark. I just finished watching it and I was blown away. It's the most edge-of-your-seat thriller I've seen since A Tale of Two Sisters. This guy, Ole Bornedal, plots like a devil! The way he sets everything up is masterful. The script is so tight, practically every element that's established is later on used. Reminded me of early Coen brothers scripts. It also provides the viewer with sufficient food for thought, what with its underlying themes about the connection between sex and death, man's self-destructive tendencies versus his instincts for survival and self-preservation, and more.

There are a lot of creepy sequences, and one or two boo moments. The soundtrack is excellent. There's one unforgettable scene where something hideous happens to the sounds of this cheery, boppin' Danish song that seems to repeat the same verse over and over again. The result is very disturbing.

The style contains a lot of Hitchcockian characteristics, and the movie is done so well that it would have made Hitchcock proud. Everything is pulled off perfectly, and not once do we hear the gears of the plot grinding.

Considering how little known this movie is, I was very pleasantly surprised. I highly recommend it.

P.S. The main actor has a striking resemblance to Ewan McGregor, who reprised the role in the American remake three years later.