Nightwatch

Play trailer

Nightwatch

R

Released Apr 17, 1998

1h 41m

Horror

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Sheila Johnston

Independent (UK)

A nifty little psycho-thriller from Denmark.

Dec 3, 2018

Full Review

Mike Clark

USA Today

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

Rated: 1.5/4

Jan 9, 2018

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

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.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Carolyn Hinds

Black Girl Nerds

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.

Aug 5, 2021

Full Review

Quentin Curtis

Independent on Sunday

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.

Dec 3, 2018

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Judson E

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/25

Full Review

Weston L

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.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

Justin T

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/21/24

Full Review

KB B

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

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/22/23

Full Review

Farah R

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

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Steve D

Effectively creepy but not much else.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/20/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Ole Bornedal

Director

Ewan McGregor

Martin Bells

Nick Nolte

Inspector Thomas Cray

Josh Brolin

James Gallman

Patricia Arquette

Katherine

Alix Koromzay

Joyce

Monkey Shines

53%

41%

Monkey Shines

Watchlist

The Prophecy II

33%

44%

The Prophecy II

Watchlist

Wind Chill

44%

31%

Wind Chill

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Wind Chill

Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000

19%

39%

Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000

Watchlist

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

9%

20%

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now