Review: Universal's "Violent Night"

Violent Night is one of those films that seems to come out of nowhere. In all honesty, who was asking for an action-comedy with Santa as the lead character fighting mercenaries to save a beleaguered, uber-rich family? Those crickets you are currently hearing is more than the merry fans out there that thought this was a good idea. Even so, the film turns out to be much better than its schlocky setup suggests. The performances are suitably over-the-top, but do not go too far, adding a sense of believability to the proceedings. Moreover, the fight scenes are inventive and fun, and the special effects fit in well.

The lynchpin of this movie, as might be expected, is David Harbour, aptly cast as a drunk, over-it-all Santa. He’s tired of the pessimism and entitlement of the current world and would rather drown his woes in a pint in an English pub than get on with delivering presents. Harbour is able to bring the sense world-weary stoicism he has become known for as one of the leads of Stranger Things, but it is balanced in Violent Night and earnestness and hopefulness. Harbour’s Santa really wants the world to turn around, he just does not see it as likely. However, he is content to go through the motions, even if it tears him up to do so.

Moreover, the physicality is top-notch. The choreography of the fight scenes is done with care and it is clear that effort was taken to make things visceral and unique. Once again, Harbour shines here as an aged fighter who isn’t sure if he can “turn it on” one last time. The fight scenes were actually similar to Marvel’s Daredevil, when it was on Netflix. The fight scenes drag a little, but in a good way. It makes them feel more authentic.

The issue here is the awkward backstory that gets shoehorned in to give a reason for Santa being able to expertly swing a hammer. Apparently, Santa was actually a Viking raider who loved to murder and pillage with a penchant for cracking skull. Eventually, the Viking becomes Santa (after his supposed death, though it is never made clear) but it is all very vague, with a consistent joke being that not even Santa knows how things work. In the end, it’s all a bit much, and when the film delves into this history, the films falters. Luckily, there isn’t too much time devoted to this, so it’s a small wrinkle.

Worse, is the villain situation. John Leguizamo, while a fine actor, doesn’t really fit here as a menacing bad guy that could realistically stand up to David Harbour’s Santa. It’s not just that it’s a regular dude, however finely trained, against a seemingly immortal demigod with a range of ill-defined powers, but from a physical standpoint, it’s hard to believe that Leguizamo could realistically take on Harbour, as they are simply mismatched in terms of size. Leguizamo is also saddled with the cheesiest lines, and whenever he speaks, it’s hard not to see Sid from Ice Age holding a gatling gun, which, while humorous, doesn’t help with the menace of the character.

All things considered, while it would be easy to pick the film apart, the positives more than outweigh the negatives. Violent Night is fun, B-movie schlock. It’s unpretentious and doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. Sure, some of the performances are lacking (looking at you Beverly D’Angelo), but it doesn’t really matter. The meat of the film is Santa taking down mercenaries with a sledgehammer. And if that isn’t a Christmas film you can get behind, you might want to re-think the meaning of the season.