Violence and Christmas are something that surprisingly goes hand-in-hand, not only in the average suburban household with family members at their wits end fighting over the last piece of turkey, but it’s especially fitting for the big screen. But is the violent Christmas film sub-genre one that has been exhausted? Have we seen everything already? “Violent Night” is the latest festive film attempting to showcase some comical cruelty during this holiday season. And although it has some way to go before it reaches the gleeful entertainment that “Die Hard” and “Home Alone” have already accomplished, the fantastical carnage that seeps out should be enjoyed for being just that.
Nothing else should be expected from the producers that brought us “John Wick” and “Nobody,” and “Violent Night” feels a lot more like the latter with its realistic fight scenes and the character’s use of the environment to gain an advantage. Director Tommy Wirkola is the man that grabbed hold of the reindeer reigns for this Christmas adaptation, and he delivers more of the same as what we saw in the “Dead Snow” series and 2017’s “The Trip.” But what aids this film even more so is its dominating star, the hulking David Harbour, who embodies the character fantastically, but also brings something new to the role that we’ve never seen before. If it wasn’t for some snowflake-light dialogue and a big chunk of Christmassy Hallmark cliches thrown in for good measure, this could well have been one of the most memorable Santa Clause representations seen in recent years.
Santa…with a Viking Past?
We’re first introduced to Harbour’s down-on-your-luck Santa as he’s downing pints in a Bristol pub on Christmas Eve. Complaining about how all kids do these days is “want, crave, and consume”—and that video games have destroyed the essence of children’s toys—he’s definitely got a valid point. After exiting up to the roof where his team of reindeer awaits, Mr. Kringle leaves the bar’s owner a vomit cocktail and disappears into the night.
During his annual travels around the world delivering gifts, Santa finds himself atop the Lightstone household, a family of upper-class snobs with more money than sense, and an internal bitterness that plagues them all. The family’s foul-mouthed matriarch and owner of the mansion, Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo) is joined by her family for the festivities, but the celebrations are soon interrupted by a team of mercenaries, led by the vicious Mr. Scrooge (played by the ruthless John Leguizamo). This kill squad is after millions in cash hidden in the family safe. However, they weren’t expecting a gate-crashing Santa to ruin their Christmas Eve plan, were they? But maybe that’s because they just didn’t believe enough.
Alexis Louder and David Harbour in “Violent Night.” (Photo: 87North).
One of the coolest aspects of the film is how Santa is given a badass back story. He once lived the life of a Viking raider who went by the name ‘Nicomond the Red,’ and was feared for his skill with a hammer and lived off a thirst for blood. Something like that should come in handy when emptying a house full of deadly assailants, right? Even though it took almost half the film to finally remember his former skill, he got there in the end and the carnage that ensues is a joy to behold—for the most part, that is.
Entertaining, but with Some Production Issues
It’s the over-reliance on music and sound during these fight scenes that not only doesn’t work but takes away from their effectiveness completely, leaving them cheesy and uninspired. If it’s not the terrible choice of modern music stealing the spotlight, then it’s the overbearing sound effects that become too much. Couple that with the nauseous quick cuts and wobbly camera movement, and the best aspects of the film end up becoming a chore by the end. But the film’s biggest downfall might just be the plot, which is often messy and quite repetitive, with the latter contributing to the film’s lengthy run-time. It’s something that could have been shortened quite easily to a more bite-sized 90 minutes or so.
But this is a Christmas film after all, and there are some typically warm and festive moments of family, belief, and the morality of right and wrong. These moments are filled with a complete collection of cheeses, but what do you expect: the lessons of Christmas need to be explored at some point. But for the most part, “Violent Night” does exactly what it set out to do. And by submerging itself into an interesting sub-genre of Christmas films, it’s an entertaining little experiment too
Currently, “Violent Night” is only available to watch in theaters.
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