Violent Night

A festive martial arts home invasion thriller drawing upon Germanic mythology sounds like a lot to unpack, but it’s just as much of a thrilling yuletide whirlwind as it sounds. David Harbour’s Santa Claus is a despondent version of the Christmas icon, a world-weary drunk who laments the declining moral fibre of humanity. We are introduced to him on Christmas Eve, drowning his sorrows in a similarly despondent dive bar that calls to mind Tony Falaachi’s haunt in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34^th Street. Unbeknownst to everyone else in the bar, including Santa impersonators clocking off for the season, the man bemoaning the state of the world is the legend himself. He exits via the roof, riding off into the night on his sleigh, depositing a precipitation of puke on the mesmerised barmaid who has climbed to the roof in astonishment. It is clear from the get-go that we’re in Bad Santa territory.

The action takes place in the fortress that is the Lighstone family compound; they’re a wealthy dynasty headed by ruthless matriarch Gertrude (Beverley D’Angelo). Jason (Alex Hassell), Gertrude’s son, has reunited (for the purposes of festive civility at least) with his estranged wife, Linda (Alexis Louder), in order to spend Christmas with their daughter (Leah Brady) at the family compound. The traditional acrimony of family disputes is punctured by the much more existential threat of a gang of mercenaries, led by a vicious criminal (John Leguizamo) with an odd fixation on ruining Christmas – so much so that he calls himself Mr Scrooge. Scrooge and his mercenaries execute their meticulous plan to break into the Lightstone fortress on Christmas Eve to steal the contents of Gertrude’s safe – all $300 million of it. What they have not banked on, however, is the presence of a battle-hardened Santa Claus looking for redemption for himself and humanity at large. So, the setup of Violent Night is one that asks: “What would happen if a home invasion were to occur on Christmas Eve while Santa is on shift?”. The answer is Santa turns into a martially artistic amalgamation of John Wick and Thor, a far cry from the cuddly old man who you may have met at the mall as a child.

Violent Night is produced by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick’s 87 North Production, the company behind such stunt-heavy thrillers as John Wick, Nobody and this year’s Bullet Train (the latter directed by Leitch himself). The action unfurls accordingly, with the company’s characteristic blend of meticulously executed choreography and delicious brutality juxtaposed with a witty levity. It is shocking and satisfying in equal measure to see this formula applied to Santa, but it’s not an idea that’s appeared from thin air. It is widely accepted in many scholarly circles that elements of the Santa myth derive directly from the Germanic god, Odin, a hammer-wielding warrior. Tommy Wirkola’s film applies this theory quite literally, and suggests that part of Santa’s world-weariness is a result of the ruthlessness and violence of his past life, which casts a shadow over his conscience. Fear not, however, Violent Night is not concerned with the psychological character arc of Odin/Santa in any substantial sense: it remains a quintessentially 87 North extravaganza, with gracefully shot violence that borders on exploitation. 

The action is supported by a committed, suitably handpicked cast. Harbour is a revelation in his role, embodying the physicality and comic timing necessary to stamp his authority on the character’s timeless iconography. The casting of Beverley D’Angelo (which calls to mind National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – more likely than not, deliberately) points to a broader postmodern intertextuality. The film makes reference, understandably, to Home Alone, and, for one sequence, almost literally becomes it. It’s a rare, welcome example of a festive romp targeted at adults, while keeping the jovial, communal spirit of Christmas at its heart. 

Matthew McMillan

Violent Night is released nationwide on 2^nd December 2022.

Watch the trailer for Violent Night here: