Movie Review: Violent Night (2022)

Violent Night (2022) directed by Tommy Wirkola

What if the person who lost the Christmas spirit was Santa Claus himself? That's the opening premise of Violent Night, with Santa (David Harbour) getting drunk in a Bristol pub before going on his Christmas eve run. Santa complains that people are greedy and unimaginative, if they even believe at all. He leaves by the stairs to the roof, which the barmaid says he shouldn't do. She chases after him, only to get to the roof and see him riding off in his sleigh. It's a magical moment until the sleigh turns, comes back over the roof, and Santa throws up over the barmaid. She gets drenched in chunky stuff, more gross than gag. 

The story moves to a fabulously rich estate where estranged parents Jason (Alex Hassell) and Linda (Alexis Louder) take their young daughter Trudy (Leah Brady) to grandma's house. Grandma Gertrude (Beverly D'Angelo) runs the family business and controls the purse strings to the family fortune, leaving Jason and his sister Alva (Edi Patterson) to suck up in hopes of getting more money or the eventual inheritance. The awkward family moments are interrupted by the arrival of armed men who wipe out the guards and servants. They have seasonal code names like Gingerbread, Candy Cane, Frosty, and Tinsel. The leader is Mr. Scrooge (John Leguizamo) who wants the vast fortune hidden in the basement vault. Gertrude hasn't gotten to her position of power by being a pushover, so she provides plenty of resistance. The robbers anticipated this and brought some high-tech safe-crackers. Upstairs, drunk Santa is relaxing in a message chair and enjoying the family's vintage brandy when he hears shots fired. He winds up fighting a robber who shoots through the roof, scaring off the reindeer with the sleigh. Santa is trapped at the house, the only one free to fight the bad guys. And fight he does.

It's easy to say the movie is in bad taste, transforming the kind and gentle Santa Claus into a drunken, vulgar, hammer-wielding action hero. The movie has a strong R-rating, with a lot of bloody violence and gore. But what did you expect from the title? While certainly in bad taste, nevertheless I found it entertaining on its own ground. The movie has lots of derivative elements but the filmmakers acknowledge it freely. Die Hard is mentioned and Trudy just watched Home Alone, inspiring her to mimic Kevin's antics. Harbour does well enough to sell the character and the hero's journey he has to go on, rediscovering the spirit of Christmas after 1100 years of service. Leguizamo is also good--he's not over-the-top chewing the scenery nor is he phoning his performance in. The movie has no real surprises in it. I did enjoy it for what it was and probably won't watch it again.

Mildly recommended.