‘Violent Night’ Non-Spoiler Review – Harbour Sleighs While Serving A Body Count

Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night was released on video-on-demand earlier this weekend, and I went in knowing little to nothing about this action-comedy crime film. Sprinkle a few elements of fantasy in it, and you have yourself a touching narrative that serves count. A bloody body count, that is.

In this review, I will be discussing 87North and Universal Pictures’ Violent Night. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion.

Discussion

A film that does not take too seriously and yet balances heart, comedy, and action altogether, Violent Night gives the audience something to believe in during the holiday season. Santa Claus (David Harbour) is the hero that we needed for the festive time, not so much Tim Allen’s version of the character.

The previous action film I have seen from the Norwegian filmmaker was Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which was released just shy of a month one decade ago. (Arguably, I quite enjoyed that movie. I do hope to see a sequel film or television series in the near future, whether or not the filmmaker is involved.) While it may not have been a critical success, I remember enjoying a lot of it when I was in the midst of my teen years.

With Violent Night, I love how a majority of the project had been put together. Sure, some of the green screen effects appear off-putting, but I can disregard that when the rest of the film can be magnificent.

Casting

Leave it to Mary Vernieu and Lindsay Graham Ahanonu to cast a chaotic array of actors from The Boys Season 1’s Alex Hassell as Jason Lightstone, John Leguizamo (from Super Mario Bros., Spawn, the Ice Age franchise, Land of the Dead, Kick-Ass 2, the John Wick series, and more), and — who cannot forget? — David Harbour of Revolutionary Road, Black Widow, No Sudden Move, and Stranger Things fame.

Vernieu previously made casting decisions for A Christmas Story Christmas, Glass Onion, The Whale, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and HBO’s Euphoria amongst other titles that came out this year (along with Cruella, We Can Be Heroes, Bad Boys for Life, etc. in previous years). Ahanonu, on the other hand, also did casting for Bad Boys for Life, as well as Nobody, Promising Young Woman, Dolemite is My Name, Creed II, A Star Is Born, and Looper.

Skyler Zurn (Brightburn, Euphoria Season 2, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story) serves as the Los Angeles casting associate for the film, while Adam Kronenberger is the LA casting assistant. Adam Hurtig is the casting assistant. Judging from their previous works, as shown above, you can kind of get a feel for what this film’s tone is from the beginning to the end. The characters deliver this balance of drama and comedy so well for an action film that I quite like what most of them had to offer.

The Screenwriting

The whole planet runs on greed!

Santa Claus (portrayed by David Harbour) in ‘Violent Night’

Pat Casey and Josh Miller’s screenplay pays wealthy homage to the greats that inspired the narrative—John McTiernan’s Die Hard and Chris Columbus’s (not the historic colonizer) Home Alone—while also poking fun at the most celebrated holiday, much like John Carpenter’s slasher film franchise, Halloween, most notably with a line paralleling that from last year’s Halloween Kills. There is also a Boxing Day reference somewhere at the beginning of the film that I thought was quite clever.

I wasn’t so fond of the first kill of the body count. However, by the time we reached the second one, I had a feeling Violent Night was headed in the right direction.

In terms of plot structure, the film is good. It isn’t until it neared the end of its middle act that the string of events starts to get intense. Here, the film gives us four extravagant scenes back-to-back. Although, I would have appreciated it more if Page could have found a way to edit two scenes differently: Mr. Scrooge (Leguizamo) angrily interacts with the hostages as Santa Claus is defending himself in a shed. The latter scene would have been better if there wasn’t an interruption from the former. That would have solidified my love for the film. Other than, I don’t mind the rest of Page’s editing.

The Crew Behind Violent Night

Violent Night is executive produced by Marc S. Fischer (There’s Something About Mary, Osmosis Jones, John Tucker Must Die, Hall Pass, Game Night) and Matt Akey (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Midsommar, Little Women, The Night House, Halloween Ends, Not Okay, Stranger Things Season 4, Moon Knight) for the Calgary unit, co-produced by Paul Barry (Sucker Punch, Final Destination 5, Deadpool 2, Bad Times at the El Royale, Nobody) and Brandy Hagborg, and produced by Guy Danella, David Leitch (the John Wick franchise, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), and Kelly McCormick (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, Nobody).

Matthew Weston serves as the cinematographer of the film. Jim Page (The Shield, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, I Am Number Four, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, The First Purge) is the editor.

Dominic Lewis (Monsters at Work, The King’s Man, Baymax!, Spirited) composes the score of the film. Patrick “Pat” Haskill (Nobody) and Peter Staubli (Halloween II, Fast Five, Skyfall, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Fast & Furious 6, Spectre, Malignant, Scream, Pearl) serve as the sound designers. Charles Martin Inouye (Pet Sematary, American Pie, Scary Movie, Holes, Accepted, Final Destination 5, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) is the music editor.

Ryan Handley plays the Santa stunt double, while Sebastian Buitrago plays the Scrooge stunt double.

Aesthetics

Jeffrey “Jeff” Errico (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, This Is the End, Neighbors, 22 Jump Street, Terminator Genisys, The Fate of the Furious, The Babysitter, Hell Fest, Birds of Prey, The Babysitter: Killer Queen) serves as the storyboard artist.

Roger Fires (Nobody) is the production designer. Ksenia Markova (Legion, Bad Times at the El Royale, Umma) serves as the art director. Vincent Tang (Nobody, Orphan: First Kill) and Janice La Flair are the set designers. Tamara Gauthier (Supergirl) serves as the set decorator and is assisted by Jan Floor.

Laura DeLuca (Nobody) serves as the costume designer and is assisted by Taryn Smith. Kristy Greig (Cult of Chucky, Channel Zero, Orphan: First Kill) serves as the head of the makeup department. Doug Morrow (Happy Gilmore, Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky, Channel Zero, Station Eleven) is the head of the makeup special effects department. Stacey Dawn Mendoza (Cult of Chucky, Nobody, Orphan: First Kill) serves as the head of the hair department.

In the Calgary unit, Adam Wagner (The Menu, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) serves as the visual effects supervisor. Ken Smith (Elysium, Chappie, Tomorrowland) serves as the visual effects editor.

Aleksandra Sienkiewicz (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Peacemaker) serves as the VFX supervisor. Neh Jaiswal (Peacemaker) is the VFX producer.

The Cast of Violent Night

David Harbour portrays Santa Claus, formerly Nikamund the Red.

The Lightstones

Alex Hassell plays Jason Lightstone. Alexis Louder plays Jason’s wife, Linda Lightstone, while Leah Brady portrays Gertrude “Trudy” Lightstone, Jason and Linda’s daughter.

Edi Patterson plays Alva, Jason’s sister. Cam Gigandet plays Morgan Steel, Alva’s boyfriend. Alexander Elliot plays Bertrude “Bert” Lightstone, Alva’s son.

Beverly D’Angelo plays Gertrude Lightstone, Jason and Alva Lightstone’s mother and Trudy and Bert’s grandmother.

The Bad Guys

John Leguizamo portrays Jimmy “Mr. Scrooge” Martinez, the main villain running the operation at the Lightstone estate.

Mr. Scrooge’s henchmen are as follows: Finn McCrager Higgins as Jingle, Rawleigh Clements-Willis as Peppermint, Stephanie Sy as Sugarplum, Brendan Fletcher as Krampus, Mitra Suri as Candy Cane, Can Aydin as Frosty, Phong Giang as Tinsel, and André Eriksen as Gingerbread.

Mike Dopud plays Commander Thorp.

Minor Roles

Ray Strachan portrays Al the Security Guard. Marina Stephenson Kerr portrays a UK barkeeper, while John B. Lowe plays a UK mall Santa.

Performances and Character Developments

Leguizamo’s Mr. Scrooge is a pure villain. In fact, he juxtaposes well with Hassell’s character. I appreciate the backstory and the motives thereof that the writers give to Scrooge. His monologue by the end of the second act is one of the strongest spoken pieces that I have seen in the film. I do not often see Leguizamo play an antagonist, so this is the first I am seeing him as a villain.

He is rather intimidating as Scrooge, taking over the character role and shedding his actor skin once we see him interact with others on-screen. There is a scene that he absolutely steals, and it is when he meets Claus for the first time. In complete disbelief, he tells one of his henchmen, “I know you’re an idiot, but don’t be an idiot out loud”. I thought this line was delivered well, and it is here that he outperformed everyone in the room, even Harbour.

Hassell’s Jason Lightstone stands out in a room of his relatives, except for his daughter, Trudy. Louder’s Linda is great, but her character doesn’t get much to do until the final act. The other family members are just unlikeable. Although, maybe that’s just the writers doing an excellent job at getting that kind of reaction out of me. Unlike Hassell’s Translucent from The Boys, Jason is vulnerable and somewhat likable. It’s just a shame that there is not too much focus on him as I would have liked.

Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Of course, in this juxtaposition, there is also a similarity in the fact that both Jason and Scrooge initially do not quite believe in Santa Claus’s existence. On one hand, Scrooge sort of comes to terms with the revelation that the jolly man is, indeed, real. However, with Jason and his surviving family members, there does not seem to be any resolution or rather aftermath with them realizing the weight this could have on them. There is no discussion over the stranger that they just met. We see them accept Claus for who he is, and that is pretty much it… but what are the consequences of that?

The Loveable Ones

Brady is innocent and adorable as Jason’s daughter, Trudy. I love how full of hope she is when she shares scenes with Claus. This is an outstanding trait that is unlike anyone else in her family, not even her cousin, Bert. Out of everything in the film, Trudy shines brightest in the Home Alone-esque scene. I can not explain it without spoilers, but I will say that the writers built up to this part remarkably. Although, once it was mentioned in her first scene of the film, I had a feeling that something regarding Home Alone would be vital later on. Thus, I was not too surprised when it happened. Instead, it was how it happened that shocked me.

Harbour is incredible as Claus. I liked the background that the writers gave him, having lived a millennium and some one hundred years or so. Aside from the placement of the line “Santa Claus is coming to town”, everything else checks out. The writers did an interesting thing in showing that, despite him having lived a long time, it is still possible for him to face mortality.

The final scene at the end of the film between Claus and Scrooge was set up well. I do not know if it was due to Fires’s production design, but something about an abandoned shack in the middle of the woods reminded me of the final fight between Peter Parker and Norman Osborn in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002).

Final Thoughts on Violent Night

The heroic protagonist mentions Rudolph (the red-nosed reindeer) and Mrs. Claus, so I can expect to see both of these characters in a potential sequel. While watching the film, I felt it could serve as a starting point for a new action franchise. This is much in the same way that The Purge (2013) was merely a home invasion narrative but expanded into an entirely new world to be explored.

Overall, despite some minor flaws that could be innocuous, the film makes for a fun holiday experience for the whole (mature) family. If you are in this for the action and comedy, then fortunately, all you would need to do is let go of any logic it has in store. However, if you were to nitpick it like I am, you might be a tad bummed out by the plot. Still, I did not hate it!

4/5

Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night is playing in theaters and is now available via video-on-demand (VOD)!

Have you seen Violent Night? If so, then what are your thoughts on them thus far? Let us know! For more action and comedy-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!