Why So Blu?

Nightwatch (Blu-ray Review)

Welcome to our Nightwatch Blu-ray review, where we dig into Arrow Video’s chilling high-def resurrection of the 1994 Danish cult classic. Before The Killing and The Bridge turned Scandinavian crime drama into an international phenomenon, there was Nightwatch. Ole Bornedal’s 1994 thriller didn’t just flirt with horror tropes — it dragged them into a cold Danish morgue, turned off the lights, and dared you to look away. With a flashlight beam cutting through corpse-filled corridors and dread oozing from every hallway, Nightwatch feels like a nerve-fraying handshake between noir and nightmare. Arrow Video’s new Nightwatch Blu-ray release doesn’t just restore the film — it revives its bite.

 

Film 

Ole Bornedal doesn’t waste time easing you in. Nightwatch opens with a whisper of menace and steadily turns up the volume until it’s rattling around in your chest. Set in a Copenhagen that somehow feels both claustrophobic and cavernous, the film uses its nighttime setting like a scalpel — slicing into your nerves with icy precision. At the center of it all is Martin (a baby-faced Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a law student who takes a graveyard shift at the morgue and quickly finds himself circling the orbit of a brutal murder investigation.

What’s striking is how Nightwatch blends tones that shouldn’t work together — but absolutely do. One minute, you’re getting a dark buddy-comedy vibe between Martin and his reckless best friend Jens (Kim Bodnia, electric as ever). The next, you’re plunged into a scene so tense and shadow-drenched it could pass for something out of Se7en or early Fincher. Bornedal balances these shifts with surgical confidence, letting the tension simmer rather than scream. It’s not a slasher. It’s not straight horror. It’s a psychological thriller with an identity all its own.

Visually, the film leans into darkness — literal and metaphorical. There are moments where you’re squinting through dim corridors, trying to catch what’s moving just outside the light. That becomes part of the experience. The unease builds through negative space, whispered threats, and the kind of existential isolation that creeps in when you’re stuck alone with the dead. But this isn’t some dreary art house slog. There’s pulp in its blood. It wants to entertain you — and scare you just enough to make you leave a light on.

Performances across the board are killer. Coster-Waldau shows early flashes of the magnetism he’d bring to Game of Thrones, but it’s Bodnia who walks off with entire scenes. There’s a wild unpredictability to him, making every joke feel like it could swerve into something much darker. Ulf Pilgaard as the inspector? Chilling. Measured. You can see the gears turning, even when he’s doing nothing at all. Together, this cast elevates what could’ve been a slick genre flick into something smarter and stickier.

Video 

NOTE: Stills are provided for promotional use only and are not from the Blu-ray.

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution:1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Region: A

HDR: N/A

Layers: BD-50

Clarity and Detail: This new Blu-ray breathes fresh life into the film’s shadowy morgue halls and street-lit Copenhagen exteriors. Fine details like peeling wallpaper, stubble, and fabric texture come through clearly — never overly sharpened, but definitely improved over previous SD versions.

Depth: Arrow’s transfer offers a solid sense of spatial separation, particularly in scenes where characters navigate long, dim corridors. Foreground and background elements remain distinct, giving the morgue scenes a suffocating but cinematic sense of space.

Black Levels: Crucial for a film that lives in the dark — fortunately, black levels here are deep, stable, and rarely crush important shadow detail. Low-light sequences remain legible without sacrificing mood.

Color: The palette is appropriately cold and muted, but warm hues (like tungsten bulbs or blood) are rendered with natural saturation. Nothing looks boosted, and skin tones don’t skew yellow or pink.

Flesh Tones: Complexions are natural throughout. Sofie Gråbøl’s paleness and Bodnia’s ruddy complexion feel accurate to the lighting and environment, not digitally manipulated.

Noise and Artifacts: Grain is present and organic, consistent with the film stock. No signs of DNR, banding, or compression issues to speak of. Arrow’s encode handles the darkness with care — exactly what this movie demands.

Audio 

Audio Format(s):  Danish DTS-HD MA 5.1, Danish LPCM 2.0 (stereo)

Subtitles: English

Dynamics: The DTS-HD 5.1 track delivers impressive dynamic range for a mid-’90s thriller. Sudden spikes in volume — like slamming doors, screaming victims, or jolts in the score — land with impact but never feel artificially inflated. Quiet scenes have room to breathe, amplifying tension through silence.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: The subwoofer doesn’t get a workout often, but when it does, it counts. Low-end presence supports the hum of fluorescent lights, distant rumbles, and a few startling music cues. It adds just enough weight without muddying the mix.

Surround Sound: The rear channels are used thoughtfully — nothing too flashy, but effective. Ambient noise like wind, echoing footsteps, and subtle creaks expand the atmosphere in key scenes. It keeps you alert, especially during morgue sequences where you’re not sure what you just heard behind you.

Dialogue: Clean and well-prioritized throughout, even in overlapping conversations or moments of panic. The 5.1 mix maintains clarity without burying dialogue under environmental effects or music.

Extras

Even when evaluated apart from its sequel, Nightwatch gets the full collector’s treatment. Arrow Video packs in an excellent commentary from writer-director Ole Bornedal, a moody interview with cinematographer Dan Laustsen, a thoughtful genre appreciation by Nordic Noir expert Barry Forshaw, and a vintage making-of doc that captures the film’s eerie production vibe. The extras are complemented by a double-sided foldout poster, reversible sleeve art, and a well-designed booklet with new writing by Eva Novrup Redvall. With both DTS-HD 5.1 and stereo audio options included, this release offers serious value — two films in one set, and even one would be worth the price. With this Nightwatch Blu-ray Review, it’s clear Arrow isn’t just giving the film a fresh coat of paint — they’re giving it the collector’s edition treatment fans have been waiting for.

 

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both films
• Original lossless stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio options for both films
• Optional English subtitles for both films
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Peter Strain
• Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Peter Strain
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Eva Novrup Redvall
• DISC ONE – NIGHTWATCH
• Audio commentary by writer-director Ole Bornedal
• Not Afraid of the Darkness, a newly filmed interview with director of photography Dan Laustsen
• Death in Denmark, an appreciation of Nightwatch and Nightwatch: Demons are Forever by film critic and Nordic Noir specialist Barry Forshaw
• Nightwatch making-of documentary
• Trailer
• DISC TWO – NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER
• How the Nightwatch Films Explore the Horrors of Adulthood, a brand-new video essay by film critic Heather Wixson
• Life (and Death) on Mars: Public and Private Life in the Nightwatch Universe, a brand-new video essay by film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Trailer

Summary 

This Nightwatch Blu-ray Review proves that Arrow Video knows exactly what collectors crave: quality presentation, rich extras, and a moody thriller that still has teeth. And since this is just half of the two-film box set, we’ll be back soon with a full Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever Blu-ray Review to round out the release.

Read our full Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever Blu-ray Review HERE.

 

The Nightwatch Collection is released on Blu-ray Jule 22, 2025!

PRE-ORDER NOW!

 

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