If you take a Christmas film with a message and heart, and sprinkle in some magic and violence, you get “Violent Night.” This one is on a trajectory to become a true Christmas classic along the likes of “Scrooged” and “Die Hard.” Then again, it got a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, so you need to be the judge.
I thought it was a fantastic action comedy with a bit of a horror element, and for me, the right amount of violence enough to get excited about. I laughed many times, but I was also touched by the tender moments. It is funny, emotional, and gory, and a ho-ho-ho-whole lot of fun to watch! I would say it is a full-film adaption of “The Night the Reindeer Died” or something like, you know, what that might have looked like.
The cast was absolutely awesome: David Harbour (Santa), John Leguizamo (Mr. Scrooge), Alex Hassell (Jason Lightstone), Alexis Louder (Linda Matthews), Cam Gigandet (Morgan Steel), Beverly D’Angelo (Gertrude Lightstone) and several more.
On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus finds himself in the difficult situation of trying to save a family who are being held hostage. The fractured family needs some of Santa’s magic to survive – not just from the mercenaries, but as a family on the brink of splitting up. Can Santa save them? You will just have to check this one out to see how it turns out for them.
I enjoyed it and had a blast watching it. The cast worked well together, and it was by far the most entertaining holiday movie I have seen this year.
SPOILER: If Santa looks somewhat familiar, the actor David Harbour also lives in Hawkins, Indiana where he plays Hopper in the Netflix series, Stranger Things.
Back to Violent Night: The film is rated R, and runs about an hour and 41 minutes. Fair warning: this one may not be for everyone; it is definitely an adult movie, so leave your minions home for this one. Get a sitter, get dinner, and enjoy the movie and forget about life for a couple hours.
