When a wealthy family is taken hostage in their home, Santa Claus finds himself in the right place at the wrong time and must take on the deadly mercenaries.
Director Tommy Wirkola delivers slick action with high production values and great cinematography from Matthew Weston. It also lives up to its title with plenty of violence while incorporating thoughtful Christmas magic, thanks to a great script by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, which as well as the main plot also offers an intriguing Father Christmas origin story. It has plenty of nods to other holiday films including Home Alone, Die Hard, Die Hard 2 with a hint of 2020's The Fatman. Music by Dominic Lewis injects the right amount of Christmas spirit, along with a classic Christmas soundtrack.
Lead actor David Harbour as Santa Claus is perfect, bringing humor, physical presence, and emotion. John Leguizamo is on top bad guy form as Scrooge. The supporting cast are excellent, notable are André Eriksen as Gingerbread and Mitra Suri as Candy Cane. Leah Brady is great as Trudy and shows that, with the right director and script, she can excel as an actor. Beverly D'Angelo as Gertrude is a welcome addition, playing against her National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation character.
Overall, Violent Night delivers exactly what it promises with its entertaining concept and hard-edged holiday fun.
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