This Christmas, it's going to be a wild ride, at least in theaters, with the action film Violent Night, starring David Harbour as a jaded, alcoholic and violent Santa Claus. The film is due in cinemas on November 30, 2022.
Directed by Tommy Wirkola, whose credits include Seven Sisters and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Violent Night is a quirky Die Hard-style Christmas movie, but with Bruce Willis not as a hotheaded cop, but as Santa Claus himself. A rather unusual Santa Claus, in fact, because he's tired of delivering the same presents to the same ungrateful children. So, to make his most hated day of the year go by faster, he drinks every bottle he can get his hands on while delivering presents.
On Christmas Eve, when a group of mercenaries break into the home of a wealthy family and take them hostage, they face an opponent they weren't expecting: Santa Cl aus(David Harbour) is in the house, and he's going to show them that good old St. Nicholas has more than one trick up his sleeve.
Our verdict
Turning Santa Claus into a jaded, vulgar drunk is an idea as silly as it is crazy, and any fan of good B-movies knows that these are the two ingredients of a good B-movie. Violent Night is a big, low-rent romp that gets all its humor from its sheer stupidity. It's the kind of movie you'd like to see with your buddies, for a good evening of potty humor. The whole film hinges on its pitch, that of Santa Claus battling some very nasty villains. And it works.
Violent Night's appeal lies above all in its generosity. Since there's nothing really exciting about the script, filmmaker Tommy Wirkola places all his hopes in staging the violence. With its low blows, hilarious confrontations and jubilant scenes, it's this perpetual second degree that makes Violent Night such good entertainment.
November 2023 cinema releases: list of films in theatres and opening times near you
Lovers of the 7th art have a lot to look forward to! And with good reason: the editors have unveiled the cinema releases for November 2023, and the program is as varied as ever. So much to discover for the whole family. Enjoy the show! [Read more]
November 2023 cinema releases: list of films in theatres and opening times near you
