Violent Night

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 (05/30/2023)

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. (07/08/2024)

Yippee ki-yay ho-ho-ho, motherfucker! When the special unit began their demolition with a sledgehammer during Bryan Adams' "Christmas Time," I was torn between envying Tommy Wirkola's arrested adolescence or criticizing it. He once again revealed his fondness for hobby store goods, especially various tools, but with the same passion, he might want to start focusing on characters. The invocation of family values often puts the brakes on things, but I understand, it's Christmas. Although David Harbour, playing the role with a Hellboy-like approach, gave it his all, I believe Bad Santa Billy Bob Thornton would still outshine him. Of course, I mean that figuratively... (01/11/2023)

David Harbour is half of the film. He was made to play the role of a kind-hearted Santa Claus with the roots of a bad-ass Viking. The mixing of motifs from Die Hard and Home Alone, which are Christmas cult classics in America, is the right way to join their ranks in different genre garb. Wirkola almost succeeded – he combines Christmas clichés with new ideas, the endangered family members are not cliches and the narrative flows nicely. It’s just a shame that Harbour doesn’t face any correspondingly interesting bad guys for whom we would have more respect. (11/29/2023)

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. (12/08/2022)