Violent Night

Possibly the most tedious film question ever asked is, "is Die Hard a Christmas movie?" Violent Night says "what if Die Hard WAS a Christmas movie?"

Its an excellent mix of two genres. First and foremost it's a (very violent) man in a tight spot action movie but hidden beneath is a traditional Christmas story of people becoming believers and a jaded main character getting their feative mojo back.

The film success is largely down to David Harbour's fantastic turn as a disillusioned St Nick. His ability to project charisma even when appearing tired and fed up carries the day, or in this case, night. He also cleverly avoids the trap of playing Santa too dark, for all his boozing and necessary killing he is still recognisably Father Christmas. The rest of the cast are all decent as well, with John Leguiziamo making a fun villian. Even the child character manages to not be annoying, although some of her dialogue hints that they had originally wanted a younger actress than Leah Brady.

The other big plus Violent Night has is its, well violence. The set pieces go above and beyond, with villians being impaled, burned and dismembered. Highlights include a Home Alone inspired sequence (turns out the invaders in this film are a lot less durable than Harry and Marv) and a Mortal Kombat worthy finish to the final showdown. There's also a decent vain of comedy even if you won't exactly be guffawing in the aisles.

There are a couple of things that take you out of proceedings, like the bad guys refusal to just shoot their guns and some very generic family interactions, but overall Violent Night is a very fun couple of hours.

8 lumps of coal for 10 naughty mercenaries.

This movie is a beautiful mixture of Die Hard, Home Alone, Thor... It also contains several cliches from other movies. Not a problem. Yes, it's predictable, but it is kind of different of what we usually recieve on Christmas, and I personally appreciate different movies.

First, action, gore and scenarios are great. Also the main cast. I think almost everyone here does a great job. I really enjoyed music used here too. Great choices.

Second, the script is predictable but at the same time, it keeps you entertained from beginning till the end. Raw action mixed with some goofy scenes.

So, overall if you want to watch a different brutal action Christmas thriller, this one is for you.

I would've liked to see more and funnier comedic moments, but there are still some fun laughs in this film. It sure beats all the romantic cheesy Christmas films that are in abundance this time of year. The directing was decent, and the pacing was spot-on in the comfortable 112 minute runtime. The story was pretty much predictable, although there were many refreshing references to past iconic Christmas holiday films. All casting and performances were excellent. Even the score and holiday soundtrack was on point. It's certainly an enjoyable one-time watch of mindless entertainment, and a well deserved 7/10 from me.

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free thoughts, please follow my blog to read my full review :)

"Violent Night is one of the biggest surprises of the year, instantly becoming a contemporary Christmas classic! David Harbour expertly embodies a shockingly brutal, savage version of Santa Claus that somehow still delivers lovely messages.

Fighting sequences feature truly violent practical stunts, taking advantage of the R rating to provide unmeasurable amounts of gore. Creative use of Christmas songs will leave audiences crying with laughter.

A brilliant homage to the seasonal genre classics that should be seen in a packed theater!"

Rating: A-

Simply put this movie is Die Hard mixed with The Santa Clause mixed with Home Alone (Macaulay Culkin would be proud). It's an enjoyable romp and should be included in any action movie fan's Christmas playlist. Sure there's some questionable content. I've noticed that directors love putting David Harbour in red, but he suited the role, and the teeny tiny bit of an origin story was, well, interesting. I'd love to see that made into an origin movie.

But, like I said, if you're an Christmas action movie person, who enjoyed Die Hard and consider it a Christmas movie, Violent Night is a good addition to your yearly play list.