Miss Flicks

Violent Night: Film Review

David Harbour as a John Wick-style Santa Claus? Yes, please! I can’t resist a blood-spattered twist on holiday movies so Violent Night is right up my street.

The film essentially revolves around a Die Hard situation – but instead of John McClane as an unexpected guest at Nakatomi Plaza, it’s Santa Claus (Harbour) in the wrong home at the wrong time on Christmas Eve. He just so happens to be delivering presents inside the luxury Lightstone estate when a bunch of criminals led by Hans Gruber – sorry, Scrooge (John Leguizamo) – break in, take the family hostage and try to crack the safe. Santa is a slovenly alcoholic who doesn’t care for his job very much but he unlocks protective papa bear mode to save young girl Trudy (Leah Brady), who still believes in him. Enter kickass Santa!

Violent Night certainly lives up to its name. It is brutal, bloody and pretty graphic. The criminals get dispatched in a variety of creative ways thanks to a line-up of inventive murder weapons. The body count is very high! I did glaze over during a couple of those killing scenes – some were a bit repetitive – but the genius setpiece inspired by Home Alone and the thrilling, gnarly sequence based inside an outbuilding made up for that. I’d recommend watching it with a crowd to hear the collective reactions to the injuries/deaths.

The film is also very funny – Alva Lightstone (Edi Patterson) and her airhead actor partner Morgan (Cam Gigandet) made me laugh a lot – and the violence always has a comic edge. You are not supposed to take this movie seriously. Not all of the jokes worked and I didn’t laugh as much as some people but I found it highly amusing.

There may be lots of death, action and adult humour but Violent Night doesn’t forget it’s a Christmas movie. It’s full of festive spirit – in a sincere way – thanks to Trudy still believing Santa is real (and in this movie, she’s correct). Connecting with Trudy makes Santa rediscover why his job is so important and special – in between crushing skulls!

Harbour looks like he is having the best time. I’m not sure how this drunken, unfit Santa managed to pull off such an athletic run of fights but you’ve got to just roll with it. He’s grumpy and fed up and takes no prisoners. Leguizamo is a one-note villain and Trudy is super cute. The rest of the ensemble includes Alex Hassell and Alexis Louder as Trudy’s separated parents Jason and Linda, Alexander Elliot as Alva’s influencer son Bert and Beverly D’Angelo as the Lightstone matriarch Gertrude.

Violent Night does exactly what you would expect. If you want a holiday movie filled with gnarly kills, you’re in for a treat!

In cinemas from Friday 2nd December