Directed by:
Tommy WirkolaCinematography:
Matthew WestonComposer:
Dominic LewisCast:
David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Cam Gigandet, Edi Patterson, Beverly D'Angelo, Leah Brady, Alexander Elliot, Brendan Fletcher (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint. (Universal Pictures US)
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Reviews (10)
Tommy Wirkola combined the story of a Santa who lost his faith in Christmas with Die Hard. A rich family is gathered in their well-guarded mansion for the holidays when they are attacked by evil kidnappers just as Santa is eating cookies from one of the few good girls there. David Harbour is initially profiled as a pudgy drunk who wants to quit his job, but when glimpses into the past reveal his origins, he takes on an almost mythical dimension. Then, when he picks up a sledgehammer in a shed and goes to rescue the little girl, things get intense, with mashed-up heads, dismembered kidnappers and ground-up soldiers. The action is not blurred and it’s also innovative in a Christmas way. The jokes ooze with cynicism, the references to Home Alone are downright brutal. It’s just a little slow at times, you need some patience at first, but most of the time it's great fun.
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Honestly, I don’t get why anyone would label this movie a horror. But whatever, it’s always fun to dive into Christmas spirit in July. I didn’t know much about the film going in, so I expected some adult version of Home Alone. The amount of violence early on was shocking, so I paused to check the director. When I saw it was Tommy Wirkola, known for his bloody films, it all made sense. For a Christmas movie, the kill count was impressive, though not as intense as Wirkola’s usual fare. The film nailed the American holiday vibe: tacky decorations, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer, a loving family, snow, and even Beverly D’Angelo. David Harbour made a fantastic Santa. Surprisingly, the child actors didn’t bother me, even though I’m not a fan of kids in movies. I loved how Santa remembered his roots predating Christianity and long before he became a corporate mascot. What didn’t sit well was Wirkola’s taming down for the mainstream holiday magic, happiness, love, and family values. It felt like he traded his usual gory fun for a big payday. / Lesson Learned: In the age of the internet, writing letters to Santa is pointless.
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Seasons Beatings! A beautiful film. Exactly one of those movies that highlights why I love movies. Tommy Wirkola reaffirms his status as a tough butcher off the rails and has quite possibly made one of his best films; at the very least he made a film that has the potential to become a Christmas classic and will definitely not be missing in my living room every Christmas in the future. Of course, for the introverts, weirdo entities, puritans and outcasts of society, this will be and American piece of shit without a story that is unnecessarily filthy and brutal, and I'm glad that the code of decency suffered incredibly in the process, I really enjoy torturing this bunch like this, probably like David Harbour, who played the best role of his career. Violent Night is one crazy, fun, perverse and brutal action ride that takes Christmas traditions, John Wick-like action, twisted humour and references to Home Alone and together it works incredibly well and cool. The story may be simple, but there's beauty in simplicity, and all the other filmmaking aspects and details are important; the work they have put in is very evident and I appreciate it accordingly. Apart from the excellent Harbour, for whom this was a tailor-made role (his flashback was also awesome, by the way, and I hope we will learn even more about him in the eventual sequel), the villains are also a delight, John Leguizamo plays a surprisingly decent bad guy, but his henchmen also have their bit of glory, and I looked forward to every disposal, which are brimming with original and entertaining ideas. I was sure of a decent 4 stars, but once it came to the barn scene, it was a done deal. It was such a carnage!!! Santa, with a skullcracker and skates for knives, performs the Christmas ballet of death, and for me it is without a doubt one of the best scenes I have seen this year. I'll be playing this before bed every night. This whole glorious sequence is then built up with traps like in Home Alone, and I was roaring with laughter and joy. I'm glad Wirkola put something like that, those were two top notch sequences (read orgasm) right after each other. The Christmas music was good too and of course I couldn't fail to mention the properly twisted and bawdy humour, which was perfectly fitting. The emotions worked on me at times thanks to the cute little girl and there were a few minor twists and turns, so very satisfied. A properly entertaining, crazy and brutal film like this year's Bullet Train. 9/10
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For me, this won’t become a Christmas classic. What a shame! The first trailers promised a perfectly outrageous black comedy. The film has two excellent aspects (which I can’t deny). David Harbour thoroughly enjoyed his role as the foul-mouthed Santa, and I bought into it completely (his backstory was also amusing... I definitely didn’t expect a theme about Viking PTSD even in my wildest dreams). The second aspect is the decent action, with one standout scene in the barn being particularly noteworthy (I might revisit that scene occasionally... an interesting use of skates :D). Unfortunately, the film doesn’t work at all on a story level. Yes, I’m willing to forgive a lot within the genre, but it shouldn’t be overwhelmed by illogical elements. Leguizamo didn’t quite fit as the villain, nor did the main family with the little girl. It has some production quality (David Leitch handled the production), so it wasn’t a complete disaster. On the other hand, I see it as nothing more than a decent one-off. I give it 6.5/10. P.S. On a second viewing, I wouldn’t be as critical. Sure, it’s a silly film, but it’s devilishly entertaining. David Harbour was born for this role. But I’ll keep the rating the same :D
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A gang of killers decide to ruin Christmas for a dysfunctional family and only Santa Claus can save them, and the chubby bearded guy is definitely not afraid of violence. Tommy Wirkola may be a little slow to get going in his actioner, and maybe he plays a little too much with genres and Christmas clichés, but he manages to shift into the mode we love him in time. David Harbour is clearly in his element here, the action sequences are full of ideas and clearly shot, the humour is pitch black and the references to Home Alone and Die Hard are a delight too.
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