The premise and the first part of the movie was interesting and promising. Even though it was too long, which made the movie itself longer than it should be.
The middle part was kinda okay.
But the third part of the movie ruined it all, at least for me. It's full of banality, cliche and weird feelings. This movie is obviously not for the kids because of all the violence and blood, but at the same time the third part of it looks so plain stupid like it's made for the kids, Home Alone style.
Also, the whole family are just horrible human beings, plain disgusting rich worms. And yet, nothing interesting comes out of that.
And the weirdest feeling I got is from that little black girl, whatever her name was. She pulls Home Alone stuff, so comparing to the original begs. [spoiler]Kevin was first frightened of the thieves, then mans up, decides to protect his home and does half a day preparing. But not the girl. She's 7 or something, but already strong, independent and super smart. Lots of bad guys took her home, killed lots of people - and she's not even scared at all. She makes Home Alone style traps in 5 seconds, mangles and kills people and not even bothered with this. When Santa comes in, she says "it was so much fun!". And bad guys couldn't even find her, like she's very far and unreachable, even though she just ran up the attic and left the ladder down.[/spoiler]
If you wannna see cool old rough Santa and some blood better watch Fatman with Mel Gibson.

Violent Night is a thrilling and unique take on the holiday action genre. Released on December 2, 2022 and directed by Tommy Wirkola, the film follows a team of mercenaries as they break into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve and take everyone inside hostage. However, they are not prepared for the surprise combatant that emerges - Santa Claus, played by the always-entertaining David Harbour. Harbour brings a perfect balance of charm and ferocity to the role, delivering some truly memorable action sequences that will have audiences on the edge of their seats.

In addition to Harbour's standout performance, the film also features a talented supporting cast, including Leah Brady as Trudy, a character who brings heart and depth to an otherwise dark and bleak story. The villains, while somewhat one-dimensional, are entertaining and their deaths are both well-thought-out and hilarious.

One of the highlights of the film is the "Home Alone for adults" scene, which truly elevates the film to great. The movie does reference a lot of other films, which some may see as a positive or a negative, but ultimately it stands well on its own. The action sequences are well-crafted and over the top, with creative kills and plenty of blood. The humor is hit-or-miss, but those who enjoy goofy, dumb humor will likely find it entertaining.

But beyond the surface-level entertainment value, there are also deeper themes at play in Violent Night. The film explores the idea of redemption and the power of second chances, as Santa Claus embarks on a mission to save the hostages and redeem himself for his past mistakes. The film also touches on the theme of the true meaning of Christmas, as Santa tries to impart the importance of love and family to the mercenary team and the hostages.

Overall, Violent Night is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking film that combines elements of holiday cheer with brutal violence and clever humor. It may not win a bunch of awards, but it's sure to become a holiday classic for action movie fans, and it's a perfect pairing with Krampus for a double feature. If you're in the mood for a silly, holiday-themed action film with some deeper themes, Violent Night is a real treat.

This shouldn't be my favorite film that I have ever watched. But it is. This film made me love Santa as a character. This film fills the very need for "What if Santa was a badass?"—the shots, the use of music, the actors, the backstory of Santa, the EVERYTHING. I've watched this film twice, and both times I had a smile on my face. Such a good film. If you, the reader, haven't watched this film, please do yourself a favor and watch it now.

It would seem psychotic Santa is coming to town this Xmas.

Putting aside the woke nonsense and shallow script, Violent Night is a moderately watchable, darkly comedic action flick, that draws inspiration from 80's style franchise's such as Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

Its well paced, predictably violent but lacks a lot of the well crafted personality and charm, of its predecessors.

In short, an easy viewing action flick, offering a festive dose of mindless violence, wrapped up in Xmas tinsel.

Violent Night was exactly what I was looking for heading into this movie. It is laugh-out-loud funny with spectacular action and brutal gory kills, a perfect blend for a Christmas film!

When David Harbor is on screen this movie works wonderfully. I never knew I needed a David Harbor Santa Claus, but now that we got it, I want to see more. He portrays a charming grumpy Santa wonderfully. His lack of care and worldview had me laughing in so many instances. This performance carried the film and was the only reason I was there.

Unfortunately, the writers tried to do a little too much with all the secondary characters. There are subplots sprinkled throughout that take away from the action adding unnecessary minutes to this film. This creates an unbalanced pace that jumps from interesting action to boring side character development, really messing with the flow. This film is nearly 2 hours long, and that length is felt at times. If these side plots were to be eliminated and we streamlined the action the film would have been all the better for it.

All in all, Violent Night effectively achieves its main goal and provides a brutal Christmas movie that I will be revisiting every season.

Score: 68% |
Verdict: Good |
Theater Verdict: See It