Review: Violent Night

This is a very rare moment when a Christmas film gets my attention to see it on the big screen.

But with the trailer hinting a lot of fun and members of the crew involved giving us some of the best action films of the past 10 years, this had all the potential.

The opening scene sets the tone of the film perfectly. So if you're not on board with it then, don't bother with the rest.

The plot is easy to flow and the narrative structure is nothing to be inspired by as you will have seen at any other action film. But it seemed to save space for its strengths to shine.

Our Santa Claus is easily likable and is a believable action star. You can feel the pain and be squeamish at the brutality in the fight sequences. 

It was even paying homages to modern Christmas classics like Bad Santa, Die Hard, Die Hard 2 and Home Alone.

I also liked how it's self-aware of its own issues by giving us excuses that every parent will understand. There is a cool backstory that manages to give the film a surprising amount of depth and weight to the story.

David Harbour gives us another memorable Santa Claus. But unlike all of them, this one is kicking so much ass whilst still giving us some touching Santa magic. This is a very likable performance. It's one of those casting choices that was so perfect that it should have been realised a long time ago.

While John Leguisamo is playing a pretty generic villain. He still to chew the scenery perfectly to be acceptable for this type of film as the main antagonist.

It was a surprise seeing Alex Hassell involved as I only remember him from one episode of Torchwood. Leah Brady gave the film its sweet and cute value and helped elevate the spirit of the story.

So while the plot is not inspiring and has been seen countless times, there is an infectious fun vibe to it. The action is brutally entertaining and it has the Christmas spirit at its centre which I love.

If you're overthinking the story when watching this, then you're going about it all wrong. This is a solid fun action feature that is best enjoyed when sitting back, relaxing and being in the Christmas spirit.

It shows that even today, simple action films with some depth can still be a hit. With any successful Christmas film, it needs to have re-watchability. This has it and I will be having this in my regular watchlist during future festive periods.

I must finally mention that there is a mid-credits scene to hold on for.

Rating: 7/10