Night Watch (1995 film)
Night Watch (also known as Detonator II: Night Watch; released in the Philippines as The Destroyer) is a 1995 American television spy film directed by David Jackson starring Pierce Brosnan and Alexandra Paul. The film, also known as Alistair MacLean's Nightwatch, was shot in Hong Kong. The film aired on the USA Network.
| Nightwatch | |
|---|---|
 Nightwatch DVD cover | |
| Also known as | Detonator II: Night Watch |
| Genre | Action Thriller |
| Written by | Alistair MacLean (story), Alistair MacNeill (novel) |
| Directed by | David Jackson |
| Starring | Pierce Brosnan, Alexandra Paul |
| Theme music composer | John Scott |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Boris Dmitrovic (line producer) Mike Mihalic (co-producer) Peter Snell |
| Cinematography | Michael Negrin |
| Editor(s) | Eric Boyd-Perkins |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Production company(s) | J&M Entertainment |
| Distributor | USA Network |
| Budget | $6,000,000 |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | October 13, 1995 |
It is a sequel to the earlier Brosnan vehicle Death Train.
Cast
- Pierce Brosnan ... Michael 'Mike' Graham
- Alexandra Paul ... Sabrina Carver
- William Devane ... Nick Caldwell
- Michael J. Shannon ... Martin Schraeder
- Lim Kay Siu ... Mao Yixin (as Lim Kay Siu)
- Irene Ng ... Myra Tang
- Hidde Maas ... Miles Van Dehn
- Tom Jansen ... Insp. De Jongh
- Tomaslav Ralis ... Louis Armand
- Harold Bone ... Lemmer
- Rolf Saxon ... Fisk
- Natalie Roles ... Jennifer
- Kate Harper ... Psychologist
- Mark King ... Luke Sheehan
- Terry Diab ... U.N.A.C.O. Voice (voice)
- Ron Berglas ... Roger Flint
- Suncana Zelenika ... Stephanie
- Ron Li-Paz ... New York Broker
- Jasna Bilušić ... Amsterdam G.N.N. Reporter
- Neo Swee Lin ... Croupier (as Swee-Lin)
- Goran Višnjić ... UN security officer
- Rex Wei ... Korean Ship Captain
- Adrian Pang ... Korean Technician
- Ed Miller ... Hong Kong C.I.A. Technician
Novel
Like Death Train, the film was based on a novel by Alistair MacNeill which in turn was based on a story by Alistair MacLean.[1]
MacLean had written a number of unfinished storylines before he died in 1987. These were fleshed out in novel form by Alistair MacNeill. Night Watch came out in 1990. A review of the novel said "The book doesn't have MacLean's touch, but MacNeill has managed to capture some of the verve and daring spirit of the original. Like other recent remakes - including Ian Fleming and Rex Stout - this version of Alistair MacLean will probably fan the fires of loyalty among his fans".[2] In 1991 a Warwickshire Council trading standards department sued the publisher of the novel claiming misleading advertising.[3] In September 1991 the publishers were fined £6,250 for misleading advertising. By that stage they had sold 355,000 copies of MacNeill's novels.[4]
When a third MacNeill novel, Time of the Assassins, came out in late 1991 the cover art was amended so MacNeill's name was as large as MacLean's.[5]
Production
The film was shot in Zagreb, with some second unit filming involving Brosnan in Hong Kong. It was the last film Brosnan made before he played James Bond in Goldeneye.[6]
Producer Neil MacDonald said the budget "will cost less to make altogether than Pierce's fee for appearing as James Bond in his next film".[7]
Release
Night Watch aired on the USA Network on October 13, 1995. In the Philippines, the film was theatrically released by Globe Vision as The Destroyer in mid-1997.[8]
DVD release
Detonator II: Night Watch is available on Region 1 DVD both individually and bundled as a double pack with Detonator (a.k.a. Death Train).[9]
References
- The Name Is Graham, Mike Graham New York Times 1 Oct 1995: TE5.
- Higgins a master at action, suspense: [FINAL Edition] Reviewed by Doug Williamson. The Windsor Star; Windsor, Ont. [Windsor, Ont]19 May 1990: E5.
- Article 1 -- No Title: Taxi driver jailed over murders The Guardian 6 July 1991: 2.
- MacLean publishers fined Chaudhary, Vivek. The Guardian 28 Sep 1991: 3.
- Diary Moncur, Andrew. The Guardian 13 Nov 1991: 23
- READY TO BOND: [3 STAR Edition] Orlando Sentinel 21 Aug 1994: A2.
- Yu just the setting for a truly spectacular tiff South China Morning Post; Hong Kong [Hong Kong]19 July 1994: 4.
- "Globe Vision announces big projects for '97". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Organization. June 2, 1997. p. 19. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- The DVD's ASIN is B000HXDWFK.
External links
- Nightwatch on IMDb