Review: ‘Violent Night’ blends blood and comedy to create alternative holiday film

In “Violent Night,” Santa is a cynic and it's going to take releasing his inner John McClane to get rid of the bah humbugs.

It may be the most subversive Christmas movie in theaters since Billy Bob Thornton boozed and stumbled his way through “Bad Santa” and its subsequent sequel.

While those movies took the opportunity to slam the crass commercialism of the season, “Violent Santa,” in all its blood-and-flesh-soaked mayhem, takes an opposite path. It reaffirms the spirit of the holiday while poking fun of that decades-old debate: Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? For the record: Yes, it is. Fight me.

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The Santa — the real Santa — in “Violent Night” is “Stranger Things” sheriff and “Hellboy” actor David Harbour, a witty performer of impressive stature who can fill the role of the Christmas action hero.

However, Santa’s in a bad, bad way. He sits at a bar on Christmas Eve in misery, ruefully commiserating with a department store Santa over a beer about how privileged and ungrateful many children of this millennium are — a well-taken point.

Santa Claus endures a battle of wills in 'Violent Night'

He pulls out to fulfill his duties, not realizing just how much his Christmas spirit will be tested by the Lightstone family: matriarch Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo) and her adult children Alva (Edi Patterson) and Jason (Alex Hassell). Jason and his estranged wife Linda (Alexis Louder) have agreed to attend the Lightstone family Christmas Eve shindig in order to appease Gertrude and their daughter Trudy (Leah Brady).

As they begin to make merry, replete with insults and overt displays of greed, some of the staff hired for the Christmas party, led by a thief code named Scrooge (John Leguizamo), begin to shoot down other members of the staff to secure the mansion. What are they after? A cache of cash stashed in the home’s safe by Gertrude.

In the meantime, Santa finds himself stuck in the home through convoluted circumstances, including his reindeer fleeing and his magic powers drying up. He knows something is happening — what is eventually confirmed by Trudy, who provides him the recon he needs to systematically take care of the threat.

'Violent Night' pays homage to another Christmas film: 'Die Hard'

Of course, it’s not that easy and therein lies the fun in “Violent Night.” It certainly lives up to the title, seducing the audience with its over-the-topic comedic violence.

What proves so positively enjoyable is the way it pays homage to “Die Hard” in a myriad of ways, including one plot thread that’s positively sweet and many others that crib plot points to induce laughs.

The best part: Everyone is in on the joke and the actors especially sell it. Harbour proves to be dangerous and vulnerable as Santa and his interplay with Trudy is a high point and reminiscent of such a relationship in “Die Hard.” Brady proves particularly effective without being too cute in the part. Leguizamo has his share of fun as Scrooge. He’s most certainly a worthy adversary for Santa.

Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola, a relative unknown here, crafts an enjoyable film that jabs at Christmas. However, like any good Christmas film, it finds its heart and honors the holiday’s broader themes.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal. Reach him at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com.

Review

Movie: “Violent Night”

Cast: David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Beverly D’Angelo, Leah Brady

Directed by: Tommy Wirkola

Running time: 1 hour 41 minutes

Rated: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references

Grade: B

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: ‘Violent Night’ is worthy homage to ‘Die Hard’