Violent Night

2022's VIOLENT NIGHT poses a B-movie premise I couldn't pass up - a house full of hostages, held by a group of automatic weapon toting mercenary thieves, are rescued by Santa Claus.  Not some department store bloke.  The Santa Claus.  Who we learn has skills that go way beyond ascending and descending chimneys.  One who's grown bitter about his longtime gig, mainly as today's youth prefer cash and video games.  Seeing Amazon boxes under Christmas trees doesn't help.  He likes to get sloshed before summoning his reindeer.   A tagline states he ain't no saint, but underneath the weariness and eventual sledgehammer swings (against the bad guys) he is the big softie we always knew.  Loves children and Mrs. Claus and all. 

Director Tommy Wirkola and screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller attempt to tread the line between schmaltz and cynicism and that dance is mighty tricky.  The problem with "grown up" Christmas movies that try to be nasty yet gooey in the center (see also BAD SANTA) is that the filmmakers constantly embrace one style, then seem apologetic and remind us in the next scene, "Hey, we really do care about the spirit of Christmas! And so do our flawed protagonists!"  The (attempts at) sentiment may be abruptly diffused by vulgar dialogue and/or a splattered skull.  No finesse, no expert synthesis of darkness and light.  Despair and hope.  But here, David Harbour does a solid job of playing the tired, obstinate, violent, but still decent Claus.  He alone is the reason to sit through this schizophrenic movie.

The Lightstones are a very wealthy family, gathered at the matriarch's (Beverly D'Angelo, doing a forced salty bit) mansion in Connecticut for a Christmas Eve dinner.  The family has a fair amount of dysfunction, including "#1 son" Jason (Alex Hassell) who is estranged from his wife Linda (Alexis Louder).  Jason's greedy sister is Alva (Edi Patterson), saddled with an egotistical, brainless actor boyfriend named Morgan Steel (Cam Gigandet). Alva's teenage son is Bert (Alexander Eliot), who already suffers sexual harassment charges.  The only seemingly well adjusted of the bunch is Jason and Linda's young daughter Trudy (Leah Brady); all she wants for Christmas is for her parents to get back together.

Said mercenaries, led by "Mr. Scrooge" (John Leguizamo), who comes complete with a childhood story of why he hates Christmas, are after the $300 mil in the basement safe.  They infiltrate and take over the gathering about the same time Santa has arrived.  Abandoned by his reindeer after they are spooked by gunfire, he discovers the situation and acts all John McClane-ish.  Meanwhile, Trudy escapes and retreats to the attic, all Kevin McCallister-ish.  There will be blood and bowling balls.

VIOLENT NIGHT sports some creative bits here and there, especially during the HOME ALONE-type antics late in the movie.  Santa's backstory, as to why he's such a badass in a red suit, was also inspired.  But Wirkola's direction is flat and perfunctory.  Couple that with the film's artificial CGI action and (surprisingly copious) gore and you've got a real missed opportunity.  If this script had been shorn of about half and hour, had an even lower budget, utilized practical effects (even Karo's syrup for Pete's sake) and was shot on 35mm, this could've been a chestnut.  An undisputed cult classic.  Rather, it's merely a few grades better than a lump of coal.