ViolentNight delivers on its wild premise and then some, and offers a bloody-good Christmas action movie.
Violent Night Score Details “” Pros Cons Violent Night isn’t the first film to deliver an R-rated Santa Claus story, but it’s one of the best if you find the idea of jolly old St. Nick engaging in a bit of the old ultraviolence appealing. Directed by Tommy Wirkola from a script by Sonic the Hedgehog writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, Violent Night casts Stranger Things actor David Harbour as the bearded, gift-giving avatar of Christmas.
The recipe that went into this movie unabashedly borrows from several films of Christmases past. One part Bad Santa, one part Die Hard, and one part Home Alone, Violent Night drops them all into a blender with a hefty pour of spiked eggnog and Harbour’s gritty charm, then purees it all into a cocktail strong enough to make the holidays tolerable for even the most jaded Grinch.
You better watch out As the film’s unlikely — and reluctant — action hero, Harbour is perfectly cast in the role of a hard-drinking, hard-living Santa Claus prone to relieving himself off the side of his sleigh while flying above cities and stealing from the liquor cabinets of sleeping homeowners. He’s a character you want to like, but his actions and attitude make it difficult to do so.
Santa crazy The rest of the Violent Night cast also does well in finding the middle ground between playing the premise straight and acknowledging the silliness of everything unfolding around them.
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