Violent Night

Santa isn’t screwing around with the naughty list this year

David Harbour is bringing John Leguizamo a lump of coal this year in Violent Night.

When armed robbers storm the Lightstone manor on Christmas Eve, they’re expecting to slaughter the family and make off with 300 million in cash. What they’re not expecting is Santa Claus (David Harbour), who’s upstairs snacking on homemade cookies when the gunmen start shooting.

Normally, Santa wouldn’t get involved. Over the years the commercialism of Christmas has made him lose faith in humanity. But it just so happens that one of the hostages in the Lightstone residence is Trudy (Leah Brady), a little girl who’s on Santa’s Nice List, and still believes with all her heart in the power of Santa.

So, Santa sits down his sack of presents and gets ready to slay.

Look, some people can only watch so many Hallmark Christmas Movies. If you’re tired of holiday schmaltz and want a hammer-swinging Santa to spice up the holidays, Violent Night has you covered. It’s exactly the movie you think it is — a violent dark comedy that thrives in its b-movie concept. Director Tommy Wirkola, who directed cult hit Dead Snow, makes sure to pack the film with some visceral fights, a lot of comic gore, and a couple of touching moments.

Wirkola wisely puts the focus on the action in Violent Night, which was coordinated by John Wick alum Jonathan ‘JoJo’ Eusebio. The Wick style is prevalent in the film, with long takes that allow you to see the action and appreciate the intricate choreography that’s involved. Yes, it’s really David Harbour beheading someone with an ice skate, not a stunt double, which adds to the immediacy of the movie. The fighting also tells a story within itself. At the beginning of the movie, Santa is bumbling through combat, relying on luck. By the end of the movie, however, Santa has remembered who he is and St. Nick is now the patron saint of whoop-ass.

The action isn’t just limited to Harbour. Wirkola fuses Die Hard and Home Alone to craft a bloody brutal movie. Sweet Trudy, who’s trying to help Santa win the day, crafts some Home Alone-style traps for the bad guys. We get to see exactly how deadly these traps are as Trudy blithely takes out some of the baddies. It’s oddly cute to watch a little girl cheer as a bowling ball crushes a man’s skull…

But the real Christmas miracle of Violent Night might be that the film gives David Harbour the starring vehicle he’s always deserved. He’s absolutely electric as a drunken Santa Claus who’s going through the motions because he’s lost faith in the holiday he represents. But even when he’s at his lowest, Santa can’t stand by while a little kid suffers. Harbour’s transition from drunken skeptic to avenging angel is brilliant to watch. Harbour uses his bulk and size to his advantage, making Santa into a powerful fighter who can slam men into walls and lay them out with a blow. Harbour’s ass-kicking Kringle could be a signature role — the movie certainly set up sequels — and hopefully, one that propels him to more fantastic movie work.

While Harbour is the standout in this action epic, there is a problem: The Lightstone family. Other than Trudy, who forms a genuine bond with Santa, the rest of the Lightstones are, well, naughty. We never really see Santa reckon with that. He despises the naughty, but it’s pretty clear that Gertrude Lightstone (Beverly D’Angelo) and her kids are pretty despicable human beings. The movie and Santa, however, don’t want to deal with them. Instead, they let the baddies, led by John Leguizamo’s Scrooge beat them up so it seems like they suffered enough to earn a happy ending. As a result, the movie lags a bit whenever Santa isn’t on screen.

Still, if you like big bombastic action and a little Christmas Cheer, Violent Night is the perfect watch for your holiday celebration. Keep in mind, however, that Wirkola earns the R rating with lots of extended gore-filled action. Don’t bring your kids unless you want them utterly terrified of what’s coming down the chimney Christmas Eve. One of the little ones in our screening was extremely worried about Santa’s welfare the whole running time.

Violent Night isn’t a perfect movie, but it is perfect for a holiday watch with action fans. Just remember to leave homemade cookies and some brandy out for Santa.

Or else.

Verdict: If your favorite Christmas movies are Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and Rare Exports, Violent Night will seamlessly fit into the holiday battle royale pantheon.

Violent Night is rated R and available in theaters December 2nd.