There is no doubt that the idea for Universal’s Violent Night is smart. Starring Stranger Things’ David Harbour as Santa Claus, Beverly D’Angelo returning to holiday movies since National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and John Leguizamo who voiced Encanto’s Bruno among others, the big studio’s new action-comedy set at Christmas has to be seen on a movie screen vis-à-vis your laptop.
What entertained me most was listening to how people in the audience reacted during naughty moments like R-rated Home Alone booby-traps of this film, or just waiting for some D’Angelo jokes – her character swears so much that it sounds like she plays Babs from HBO’s Entourage. The Leguizamo character gives his own one-liners as an antagonist, but they seem somewhat phony.
However, despite some trite dialogue and other clichés which mar this otherwise original movie, it is enjoyable watching famous actors/actresses feature in a Christmas tale.
“I love Bad Santa but I also love the Home Alones. “If you have a compassionate heart then nothing can offend you,” he recently told MovieWeb. “You can make any type of Christmas movie you want—as long as when you sit down in that theater and walk out again you are filled with the spirit of Christmas.” So I kind of got excited about it right away—I thought, ‘OK I know how to do action films or something; I know how to do extreme humor and all those things.’ How would it be if I combined all these things into one?” Wirkola revealed.
The plot is quite simple indeed. A drunken Kris Kringle (Harbour does justice to this role) is observed by us at an English pub whereby as soon as we get acquainted with a separated couple (Alex Hassell & Alexis Louder) who cannot find common ground with their lively daughter (Brady Leah), the main story takes off. They come back to the husband’s family home for Christmas where they find themselves held hostage by a dictatorial power mum/grandma known as Gertrude Lightstone. Anyway, an elite group of mercenaries finishes this first act with an assault on the family compound during Christmas Eve taking all inside captives.
She is posed to conquer the fiery role, and Wirkola revealed that a part of her R rated insults were improvised. “Tommy is]a genre shifter” as she told MovieWeb recently. “He gets those moments in life so well that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a moment of comedy or action or drama or gory horror films; he can create these moments that are heartfelt and then minutes later you’re laughing over someone whose head just got cut off… So I really wanted to work with him.” However, in the context, I said why not look at Christmas through that lens.
But back to the storyline. The somewhat inept team led by an angry Leguizamo does not expect Santa Claus on the premises who will show them why this Nick isn’t saintly at all. That’s what makes this film a winner for setting up its franchise: At times, Wirkola cuts away from contemporary settings into medieval ones where Harbour’s Santa used to be a warrior before taking on the epic Xmas traveler’s role instead. There’s no overkill here; we only see parts of Claus’ former lives. Possibly more in future depending on how this one does at the box office.
So thanks to some fortunate timing and even more fortuitous back-story, Santa Claus must step in — both for our sakes (since Christmas would be ruined) and his own (for reasons yet unknown). The finished product here got plenty of “violent” help from Nobody, John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw producers. Remember booby trap Gertrude’s grand-daughter set up after watching Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone movie? Once they arrive however and Santa decides he should try one last time to save humanity, bloodshed begins and it is amusing seeing all that hapening.
Wirkola also directed the knowingly preposterous Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. In addition, Pat Casey and Josh Miller, writers of Sonic the Hedgehog, worked on the script which may be why it fails to slow down at any point during its duration.
On the comedy front there’s also Edi Patterson (the recognizable 1st Knives Out film by Rian) playing Gertrude’s ungrateful daughter Alva who brings a lot of humor in scenes that she basically dominates. Also starring as Gertrude’s boyfriend is Cam Gigandet (from Without Remorse), whose comic ignorance mirrors the absence of empathy from Alva for others.
But what did we come here for really? For most people, all it took was that pilot episode of Stranger Things on Netflix and they became fans of Harbour. Harbour has been in this industry for years now. Little wonder he grabs Universal’s new Christmas release with both hands and mixes action with comedy in his own style, just like Wirkola loves it. Even his eyes have a sparkle that suits him.
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