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Violent Night
2022 112 min Canada, United States of America R 16+
★6.7
Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Trailers
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Description
When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.
Budget:
$20M
US Gross:
$50.06M
Worldwide:
$75.73M
Starring
David Harbour
Actor
John Leguizamo
Actor
Beverly D'Angelo
Actor
Awards
1 win & 4 nominations total
Key opinion
Violent Night is widely received as an entertaining, bloody, and darkly comedic subversion of the traditional Christmas movie. While critics are divided on the quality of its screenplay and emotional sincerity, most agree that David Harbour’s committed performance and the film’s creative, R-rated action sequences make it a satisfying seasonal watch.
| Acting | David Harbour provides a charismatic and grounded performance that serves as the emotional anchor for the film's absurd premise | |
| Direction | The film features visceral, imaginative, and highly stylized action sequences that effectively pay homage to classic genre cinema | |
| Screenplay | The film's screenplay is perceived as both a fun, subversive take on holiday tropes and a shallow, derivative collection of clichés | |
| Pacing | The runtime is a point of contention, with some finding the pace brisk and enjoyable, while others find the unnecessary subplots make the experience feel sluggish or overly long | |
| Emotion | The infusion of sentimentality into an otherwise cynical, gore-heavy action movie strikes some viewers as heartwarming, while others view it as tedious and inconsistent with the film's tone |