Welcome to Knockout Horror. It’s the 22nd of December and we are just a few days away from Christmas. You should probably be doing some last minute shopping, wrapping a few presents and preparing for the festivities but why not take a break? Let’s check out another Christmas horror movie from our Festive Frights feature. Only, today’s movie, Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night, isn’t a horror movie at all.
Violent Night is far more of a comedy, action, thriller than anything but it has a ton of gore, some great kills, and enough to keep most horror fans entertained, at least for awhile. After all, there isn’t exactly a great deal of Christmas themed horror to enjoy so you have to take what you can get. Speaking of which, if you want to catch up on what you have missed, take a look at our Awful Advent category. We have covered a ton of Xmas horror films and will be adding to it each year.
Not a Horror!
Again, this is not a horror movie but Violent Night is a seriously gory affair with some decent tension and a strong thriller leaning. It follows the story of a wealthy family spending Christmas together. Only to find themselves in a fight for survival after a ruthless gang of mercenaries breaks in to steal the family fortune. It comes down to a grizzled Santa to lead the fight back against the thugs before they murder all of the hostages.
Violent Night is something of a mix between an action thriller and a farcical Christmas comedy. Horrendously violent, at times, while also managing to provide a few laughs. It’s one of those movies you throw on when you just want to eat some snacks, have a drink and enjoy a Christmas film that isn’t overly sloppy and saccharin. Only, it kind of isn’t because it actually is overly sloppy and saccharin. This is a film that is a tiny bit confused.
Not Sure What it Wants to Be
When Violent Night is wearing its action thriller mask, it is a hell of a lot of fun. The kills are vicious, the action is intense, there are some hilarious nods to Home Alone, in the most brutal way you can imagine, and the cat and mouse shenanigans are genuinely entertaining. The gore comes thick and fast and Wirkola doesn’t pull any punches with the detail. This is Bad Santa meets Die Hard with a little sprinkling of John Wick and it works really well.
Even the comedy elements land, with there being quite a few moments of laugh out loud hilarity. Violent Night, for much of its run time, is one of those films you could imagine throwing on every year as a slightly more adult Christmas tradition. The problems start when Wirkola forgets that he is making a movie for adults.
Violent Night is saccharin and heart felt in a way that seems completely out of place in something like this. Some of the scenes are ripped straight out of a kid’s Christmas film and it makes no sense. We go from people being ruthlessly murdered and extreme amounts of violence to examining the subject of kid’s believing in Santa Claus with not a single hint of irony or tongue in cheek.
Who Is This Aimed At?
I have no clue why this tonal shift was deemed to be necessary. There is no way in hell you could comfortably let your children watch this movie. It is far too bloody and not at all appropriate. So who the hell are the scenes featuring tried and tested kid’s Christmas movie tropes aimed at? The 0.0001% of adults that may still believe in Santa Claus? I gotta imagine those types of adults won’t be watching movies featuring horrible violence.
It’s a bizarre, confused, and ill fitting tonal shift that really upends the movie quite a bit. It gets in the way and takes up far too much time. Time that could have been better spent on some more character development and a bit more action. There’s a lot of dead air in Violent Night and a lot of time spent with characters sitting on their hands waiting for things to get going. When all is said and done, it’s hard not to think the tropey kid’s stuff was a big waste.
Still Fun
With all of that being said, this is still a fun movie and there is plenty to like. While it doesn’t bring anything at all new to the genre there is enough action to keep things interesting. The action is quite satisfying, as well. With lots of creativity and some very nice visceral bite to the violence. Comedy is a strong point. The script leans into the corny a little too often but there are a lot of laughs to be had.
A few of the cast members are fantastic, as well. It’s so cool to see Beverly D’Angelo still acting; she is tons of fun here as the family’s matriarch Gertrude. It’s awesome to have the Christmas Vacation vet onboard in a more recent Christmas film. John Leguizamo is typically solid and does a nice job as bad guy Scrooge.
David Harbour does his best Billy Bob Thornton impression as a drunken Santa Claus but he does manage to bring a lot of warmth to the role. A special mention has to go to Leah Brady, as well, who does a nice job and seems to be having a lot of fun. Even if she seems a bit too old to be so convinced that Santa is real.
Cinematography is decent, this feels like a high budget film. The shot can get a little antsy in some of the faster paced scenes but nothing too out of the ordinary. Pacing is a bit off. This is a long film and there is a lot of downtime. I would have preferred less sitting around and a quicker jump into the action.
Should You Watch Violent Night?
Violent Night is definitely worth watching. Particularly if you are looking for a Die Hard style Christmas movie with a ton of gore and some laughs. The tonal shift is stark and rather annoying, the movie also suffers for its pacing and a lot of dead air. When Violent Night is good, however, it’s great. A hell of a lot of fun and a great addition to any Christmas watchlist.