Violent Night

Violent Night

Starring David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, Leah Brady

Directed by Tommy Wirkola

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and even after working in retail for the last twelve years the Yuletide feelings have never left, despite seeing how our capitalistic greed has overtaken any festive greetings. The lights, the music, the food, the family, the movies - everything about the holiday just makes my heart warm. Christmastime films are also very unique in spanning the entire gambit of classics like "White Christmas" and "Miracle on 34th Street" to modern comedies like "Home Alone" and "Bad Santa" to Christmas horror like "Black Christmas" and even action films like "Die Hard" (yes, that's a Christmas movie). The holiday brings all types of movies for each member of the family, and "Violent Night" is a fine addition to the holiday cinema experience - serving as a blend of "Die Hard," "Home Alone," and the recent relatively unseen Mel Gibson actioneer "Fatman."

It's Christmastime, and for young Trudy Lightstone (Leah Brady) it's a time for merriment and wonder. She is still enamored with the season and especially Santa, even though her family - consisting of estranged couple Jason (Alex Hassell) and Linda (Alexis Louder) - has lost the spirit long ago. She belongs to a very wealthy family led by matriarch Gertrude (Beverly D'Angelo) who invites the family to spend Christmas at her palatal estate, but there's some uninvited guests - a gang of mercenaries led by "Scrooge" (John Leguizamo) who wants the millions of dollars in Gertrude's vault. Caught in the crossfire is Santa (David Harbour) himself, who's become disillusioned to the season feeling that the true spirit of Christmas has been replaced by what people want rather than appreciating what they have. Only Trudy is still pure in heart, and despite his early misgivings about the situation, Santa decides to rescue Trudy and her family by dispatching those who were naughty with reckless Yuletide abandon.

The concept of Santa might seem like a newer idea, but different iterations of the jolly fat man has existed in some form for centuries, dating back to the fourth century in the form of Nicholas, who was a bishop in Turkey and was canonized after his death having been known to be someone who cared for children and valued kindness over everything. Here, the idea of Santa stems from Viking lore, and obviously you need a modern-day Viking like David Harbour to pull it off - a former warrior-turned-Santa who used to love the holiday but, like most people, has become disillusioned with the fact that people are more greedy now and only want presents.

As he's about to throw in the towel, he finds true Christmas spirit in young Trudy Lightstone, who doesn't want anything for Christmas except her parents getting back together, and it's this small light that ignites a spark in Santa to give him that Christmas magic once again - this time to punish the naughty and reward the nice by any violent means necessary. "Violent Night" isn't one of those Hallmark Christmas movies, but there's some surprising heartfelt moments thrown in with the blood and carnage, as we see the world through Trudy's innocent eyes - she wants her parents back together and she doesn't want to lose the Christmas spirit.

Yet the main focus of the film isn't those heartfelt moments but hearts getting ripped out of peoples' bodies, and to that end director Tommy Wirkola comes up with unique ways for Santa to dispatch those he finds on his naughty list using a wide array of Christmastime weapons such as a tree star along with the traditional blunt weapons like mallets and even ice skates, culminating in a gory good time that'll smear the screen with all the Christmas red you could ask for. Obvious nods to "Die Hard" run rampant throughout the film, and by mixing the violence with humor it's a laugh-out-loud riot that allows you to turn off your brain and just enjoy the ride. Also akin to "Home Alone," "Violent Night" also has a hilarious section where Trudy uses her own traps to catch the mercenaries coming after her, but unlike the family classic there's no coming back from the traps she sets up, once again resulting in gut-rolling laughter from the audience.

We all know going into this film that we're not going to see Shakespeare, and everyone involved goes full-on with the insanity. David Harbour anchors the actors as Santa, who's a great blend of cynical with emotional, but on a level of an almost parody that serves as a wink and a nod to the audience to enjoy the ride. Utilizing unique weapons and spouting classic Christmas jargon is a wonderful blend, and Harbour nails it in every scene he's in. John Leguizamo serves as a perfect antagonist as well, diving headfirst into the role of the generic mercenary who wants the money, but even he has a surprisingly emotional backstory as to why he doesn't believe in Santa anymore. Thankfully those moments aren't too often, leaving room for the carnage to commence in every scene.

While "Violent Night" won't be fondly remembered as a Christmas classic years from now, it's still a fantastic Yuletide beatings film that goes full tilt on its R-rating. By not taking itself seriously it allows the audience to sit back, relax, and laugh at the total insanity portrayed onscreen, even though you've seen concepts like this in other classic Christmas films. Santa is here to slay, and you better make sure you're not on his naughty list.

The Score: A-