When a group of mercenaries attack the estate of a wealthy family, Santa Claus must step in to save the day (and Christmas).
Chuck says:
I’m not sure what I did. I thought I’d been good all year. Yes, there might have been a time or three when I lost my temper, I do have a hard time obeying the speed limit and, truth be told, I don’t do all the tasks my wife asks me to as quickly or as well as she would like. But I don’t think any of these minor infractions should land me on Santa’s Naughty List. Yet, it seems as though I’m there, having been forced to watch “Violent Night,” a vile, pointless movie that’s being released during what is supposed to be a time of love, giving, and understanding.
While suffering through this humorless exercise in adolescent filmmaking, I kept wondering, “Who is this movie intended for?” I guess there are folks who get a kick out of seeing someone impaled on a large icicle or having an electric Christmas decoration shoved into someone’s eye and turned on so that their head will catch on fire. I don’t know anyone – at least, I hope not – that would think this is entertaining, but hey, to each their own.
The story, as it is, is as simple as you would imagine. A group of mercenaries raids the Lightstone mansion, the home of a family of one percenters, intent on stealing the millions they supposedly have on hand. Things go awry when Santa Clause, while dropping off presents. Trapped by the ruthless killers, he goes on the rampage, savagely killing the heavily armed invaders who are, obviously, on the Naughty List.
If you’re familiar with director Tommy Wirkola’s work, it comes as no surprise this is a blood-soaked, sophomoric affair. His Nazi-zombie movie “Dead Snow” and its sequel have a cult following among exploitation aficionados and, to be fair, as far as Nazi-zombie fare goes, they’re not bad. Blood splattered on snow is his visual signature.
Make no mistake, there’s plenty of that on display as, in addition to the acts described above, limbs are hacked off, decapitations occur and anything you can imagine that can be cut, speared, or set aflame, is. What’s unfortunate is that the constant violence doesn’t numb the viewer, at least not this one. Wirkola and screenwriters – a term I’m using VERY loosely here – Pat Casey and Josh Miller continue to up the gore and mayhem as the film proceeds, succeeding in pushing the limits of good taste – which obviously doesn’t exist anymore – to the limit. That it would take two “writers” to pen what is simply a collection of violent fantasies boggles the mind. Not exploring Santa’s violent past, which is tantalizingly teased, is the epitome of laziness, just one of many missed opportunities overlooked in the pursuit of bloodshed.
As the malicious Santa, David Harbour does his best to instill a bit of humor, but the script lets him down. There aren’t enough clever comebacks for him to deliver, the actor reduced to grunting and yelling as he dispatches one generic bad guy after another. John Leguizamo appears as the head of the mercenaries. If he’s so desperate for cash he needs to take on a role like this, he obviously needs a new financial advisor.
To be sure, there have been films I’ve seen when I wasn’t in the right mindset, went back, watched them again and ended up changing my tune. I can guarantee this won’t happen with “Violent Night.” It left me dismayed that such a thing could be produced and appreciated by some. I’m sure if I were to re-watch it, it would just make me feel worse.
1 Star
Pam says:
“Violent Night” is exactly what the poster promises; a bad ass Santa who mercilessly kills anyone who messes with him. Sadly, the gratuitous violence overwhelms the story as it glosses over a few storylines of what could have been a much better film.
One of those storylines is that Santa, you see, has a history and it’s not a pleasant one. Even he doesn’t
