Violent Night is a 2022 action dark comedy directed by Norwegian native Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters), from a screenplay by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who also co-wrote Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). The film is produced by 87North who previously produced Nobody, John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

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 (David Harbour, Black Widow, Stranger Things series) is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.

The film also stars Emmy winner John Leguizamo (John Wick), Cam Gigandet (Without Remorse), Alex Hassell (Cowboy Bebop), Alexis Louder (The Tomorrow War), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), and Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise).

Violent Night made its debut in theaters on December 2nd, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

Christmas is a big deal in my house, but my wife is much more traditional and just wants to watch Hallmark movies and drink hot chocolate. Now I will drink the hot chocolate of course, but you can keep the Hallmark movies because I need something a bit edgier; enter Violent Night. When the first trailer for the film was released I was immediately overwhelmed with the Christmas spirit, this looked awesome. First, who doesn’t love Mr. Stranger Things himself David Harbour best known as Hopper in the series. The 6’3 behemoth of an actor who makes Tom Cruise look like a child is perfect for the role of old Saint Nick. So yeah, to say that I was excited would be an understatement, the Holiday Season would not begin until this movie hit theaters. So, the day has finally come, did Violent Night spread the yuletide cheer I hoped it would? Keep reading to find out!

Move over National Lampoons Christmas Vacation because this might be my new favorite Christmas movie! Seriously, Violent Night was fantastic for so many different reasons. First off, I made it clear why I was excited about the movie in the first place, but it turned out to be so much more than I expected. I sort of thought it would be more in the realm of a horror comedy which would have been fine, but instead, it finds itself somehow teetering on over-the-top and ultra-violent action comedy meets Holiday classic. I certainly wouldn’t let any children watch this movie, but the underlying message is dare I say magical. Violent Night finds a way to instill the joy of Christmas while offering viewers the unique opportunity to watch Santa Clause fuck some shit up, pardon my French. David Harbour’s version of the jolly guy who delivers presents to kids one day out of the year is a damn legend, simple as that. Violent Night is immersive, hilarious, very well-paced, packed full of incredible fight sequences that are as brutal as they are satisfying, and still somehow manages to offer up some heart along the way. Also, the cast is nothing short of fantastic from top to bottom.

Alright so as far as the story, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from Violent Night. But as I said I sort of imagined a horror comedy style of a film where this badass Santa Clause just wrecks house on these dudes for landing on his naughty list. Now that is honestly sort of what happens, it just doesn’t quite evolve how I pictured it. But before you get all bent out of shape, this is a good thing. I was genuinely impressed with the depth of the overall story and the fact that at its core this really is a Christmas movie, and is built around the traditions we all know and love. I mean listen, we all have rough days, weeks, months, or even years, and good ol’ Saint Nick is no different. I won’t say much more in terms of the story because I really don’t want to give anything away, but viewers will have plenty to sink their teeth into. The story really impressed me at every turn, and it perfectly complimented what I considered to be one heck of a fun roller-coaster ride.

We have to talk about the cast, and needless to say, we need to start with my guy David Harbour. Widely known for his role as Hopper in Stranger Things, Harbour reminds me of the great Michael Shannon in so many ways. Both actors are roughly 6’3 in height which is basically Tom Cruise x3 and are each incredibly talented. What is most impressive is the range they possess, which granted I have to give the edge to Shannon in terms of some of the versatile roles he has taken on, but as his career progresses I am getting more and more impressed by Harbour. I absolutely loved him in this role and felt like he was the man for the job. His believability was spot on whether he was selling viewers on the legend of Santa Clause and his reindeer, or the dark past that you will learn about once you see the movie. He was just great.

Next in line is honestly one of my favorite actors over the years in the talented John Leguizamo. I have been a fan of his ever since the over-the-top and ridiculous 1997 comedy The Pest, which has a 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes just in case you were interested. Leguizamo really is a generational talent with 155+ acting credits and counting, and he recently played a great role in the fantastic satirical comedy-drama The Menu (our full review here), which is a must-see. In Violent Night Leguizamo plays the primary antagonist as he is the guy who will stop at nothing to get what he wants during a very well-planned and sophisticated heist. But what makes this movie so unique is that each pivotal character has an important backstory, and he is no different. Although Harbour and Leguizamo lead the way for me, the supporting cast is great as well. I have to give credit to Leah Brady who plays her best Kevin McAllister of Home Alone fame.

Alexis Louder, who is lights-out good in Copshop (our full review here), held her own as well and once again proved why she is an actress to keep an eye on. Veteran actress Beverly D'Angelo, known for the Christmas classic National Lampoons Christmas Vacation that I previously mentioned, also dominated a pivotal role as the matriarch of the Lightstone family. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have liked Cam Gigandet ever since his role in the underrated 2008 sports drama Never Back Down. He has always played that a-hole privileged guy role perfectly, and he takes on some of that here as well with some solid comic relief. Actress Edi Patterson was great as well in her role as Alva Lightstone and had great chemistry with the rest of the cast. The entire supporting cast was honestly as good as you could hope for and each did their part.

The action sequences and fight scenes in Violent Night are next-level awesome. When a film involves a guy named David Leitch, you know it is going to hit as hard as a 90’s era Mike Tyson uppercut. His resume is just insane. He directed the recent action thriller Bullet Train (our full review here), now streaming on Netflix, he also directed Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2 (our full review here), Atomic Blonde (our full review here), and co-directed the first John Wick movie. So yeah, he knows his way around a fight scene or two. Violent Night sets the tone early, and the violence does not let up. Santa is a bit of a punching bag at first because I mean he only planned to be out delivering presents and didn’t exactly pack his brass knuckles, but the old muscle memory kicks in real quick. So many of the action scenes are a blast to experience, and each one felt unique and well thought out. I also loved the homage to Home Alone, and one scene, in particular, had me damn near yelling “ohh shit!!” out loud. So good. Bottom line, if you want to be entertained this holiday season, Violent Night is the movie you need to be seeing in theaters.

THE BAD

Alright listen, I loved this movie. I thought it was a blast from start to finish, but with being said, Violent Night is not for everyone. The film is extremely violent, excessively vulgar, and just a good old-fashioned wham-bam-thank-you-man when it comes to the season of sugar cookies, presents, and spiked egg nog. I feel like a broken record every single time one of these movies comes out because let’s be honest, it is very clear what kind of movie Violent Night is from the start. So if you don’t like the subject matter clearly you will have a hard time enjoying this movie. But with that being said, the film was right up my alley and even exceeded my expectations.

THE VERDICT

An epic and brutally violent action comedy that is basically Home Alone meets John Wick with a surprisingly wholesome underlying message, Violent Night is the next great Christmas classic and I will not be convinced otherwise. This movie was just so much fun I can’t even begin to describe how much I enjoyed it. The age-old debate about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie can finally be put to bed because David Harbour is officially Santa Clause, and Violent Night is the next great Holiday classic. Mark it on your calendars folks, because you will be watching this bad boy for years to come. Be sure to fully immerse yourself in the true Holiday cheer of this masterpiece in theaters sooner than later, you won’t regret it.