I have a lot of reviews to catch up on, but I decided to go see my Editor’s Pick for the week and it was a great decision. Violent Night was exactly what I had anticipated, yet it still somehow exceeded all my expectations and was some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies all year. I’m putting this one in the mix every holiday season!
It’s Christmas Eve, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for the wealthy and eccentric Lightstone family, a crew of mercenaries who infiltrate the compound looking for some off-the-books government cash, and…oh yeah…Santa Claus.
Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who co-wrote the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, were the brains behind the brawn here. I have seen/heard people saying that this is just Die Hard meets Home Alone, and there is some truth in those comparisons but it’s also a dismissive oversimplification. Those influences are certainly there and some key moments absolutely pay homage to those other films. However, what I watched was a film that was made by people who very clearly grew up watching and loving those two movies and wanted to take the best elements of both and put them together in a new idea for all the other adults who had grown up with those films.
The result is a highly entertaining holiday romp that uses its well-crafted action choreography and situational awareness to create some hilarious moments. In between the moments of legitimately good, R-rated action, the script fleshed out its characters with a surprising amount of heart and detail. Wirkola didn’t make that the focal point of the film, but keeping it there and bringing it to the front at the appropriate time wound up making a big difference. I am sure I would have enjoyed the concept here as an action comedy even without the family stuff, but it’s handled with intent and care and elevates the film beyond the territory that its detractors have put it in.
David Harbour was a great fit for this role and his performance is another key ingredient in elevating this film. The later seasons of Stranger Things got away from the reluctant hero character that made audiences connect with his Hopper in the first place, so it was nice to see that the filmmakers recognized that. Harbour’s Santa is far from perfect, as we first come across him getting drunk in a local bar and lamenting his duties before flying off into the night. As we get more of Santa’s back story we get a much more flawed, human character that basically gives us a brand new version of the character mythos. It’s in those areas where Harbour can put his brash charm on display, and it works really well.
John Leguizamo plays the villain really well too. Referred to mostly by his codename, Scrooge, he could have easily fallen into the realm of disbelief but Leguizamo seemed to relish the opportunity to play a real bad guy. Sure, there are plenty of Christmas puns along the way but it makes sense given the character’s dark history with the holiday. His penchant for violent outbursts probably helps too, but his portrayal isn’t hokey and it works well in context.
In the middle of the heist and the family drama, there is also a young girl’s belief in Santa that sorta powers the whole thing. Leah Brady was great as Trudy Lightstone and I could envision a version of this story where it’s dialed back and more honed in on her, but I loved the fact that it was just another layer to this film. Her relationship with Santa and the holiday is very different than the adults’ and carries that genuine Christmas spirit.
The rest of the cast has some familiar faces such as Christmas movie royalty Beverly D’Angelo, who gets to play the very fun matriarch of the Lightstone family. My favorite part of the most recent Macbeth, Alex Hassell, plays Trudy’s dad and Cam Gigandet plays the kind of douchebag role we’ve seen from him before but with a lighter touch.
This one set the holiday movie bar pretty high for me. It’s violent, it’s funny, and it was an absolute blast. The crowd response was the best I’ve been a part of this year since EEAAO. I don’t know if a sequel is in the plans, but I would watch another one of these in a heartbeat.
Recommendation: If you grew up with Home Alone and Die Hard then you’ll probably love this too. My girlfriend is more of the Hallmark/rom-com Christmas movie type, but she really enjoyed it too. The violence and language might be a bit much for really young kids, but there was a 12-to-14-year-old there with his mom having a great time too.
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Dying to see this.
So much fun!