Violent Night Review: The Most Traumatic Christmas Eve
Imagine the song Silent Night but the calm and holiness of the night is replaced by chaos, gunshots, and traumatic scenes. Imagine the film Home Alone, where the villain doesn't just bump, fall down, and become the victim of the boy's pranks, but shatters into pieces so that the body parts are no longer intact. That's about the big picture of the film Violent Night, played by David Harbor. The Christmas film can be watched in all cinema networks.
Spoiler alert!
The title already explains the contents of the story of this film. But we don't witness the horror and brutality until the first quarter hour. This time is short enough to be filled with character introductions, world building, and typical Christmas movie moments: music, snow, and of course Santa Claus or Santa Claus. From year to year, this character has never been absent from Christmas movies either as a character or just simply mentioned. Various films have also often reported that this figure is not real and is only made up by parents for their children. When the children reach a certain age, they will then realize that Santa Claus is only a fictitious figure. Violent Night tests the audience's beliefs and beliefs about that.
In a pub in England, we meet Santa Claus or Santa (played by David Harbour). With his distinctively bulky body and thick red and white costume, he is enjoying an alcoholic drink in between delivering Christmas gifts to children who are on this year's 'good children list'. While drunk he complained and expressed his feelings about today's children who always want money and video games. Soon another old man in Santa's clothes arrived who listened to the story of Santa Claus who had intended to retire and vowed that this would be his last Christmas to distribute gifts to the children.
The pub owner and the old man just listened without realizing they were talking to the real Santa Claus. Holy Santa Claus. Santa Claus is always the idol of children every Christmas. The scene ends with Santa riding in a sleigh pulled by several Reindeer, vomiting from the sky and the poop falling on the pub owner's face.
The vomiting scene is probably the only funny scene one can comfortably laugh at. Because of the rest, Violent Night features brutal scenes that are the complete opposite of the Christmas feel they offer. Even laughing will leave a feeling of guilt.
On Santa's way of delivering the rest of the presents, Santa is trapped in the house of a rich man named Gertrude Lightstone. Gertrude's two children were there: Jason and Alva. Jason brought his wife, Linda, and son, Trudy. While Alva brought his boyfriend and son, Bert. They thought Christmas that year would be the same as it had before, but then of course Violent Night wouldn't have had time to deliver its fun experiences and dark humor.
When Santa falls asleep in a massage chair after entering through the chimney of Gertrude Lightstone's luxurious home, the house is surrounded by several criminals in disguise. They are after the treasure hidden in the cellar with extra security and can not be broken by anything and anyone except the owner of the key. Amidst the chaos and the lives of all the Lightstone family hanging in the balance, Santa hears a wish that not only brings him back to his past powers, but changes his will to retire.
Written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, the couple who also wrote Shotgun Wedding (2013) and two Sonic the Hedgehog films (2020-2022), Violent Night turns the story of a family struggle for wealth and a robbery on Christmas Eve into something unforgettable. It is certain that this will be the most traumatic Christmas Eve that the Lightstone family will remember. The series of jokes that are spread in each round of the film work well, especially the slapstick dark humor parts that make this film rated 17 years and over. The script was then translated into slick visuals by director Tommy Wirkola (The Trip, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters).
There are lots of naughty and tickling dialogues which in the context of this film are very, very funny and effective. Every scene of violence is not stitched with tense sounds but Christmas music from Dominic Lewis. On the one hand, the scene that is being shown is very inhuman and bloody, but on the other hand, the music that sounds grand and sacred makes the experience of watching this film unique. To the extent that the thought arises, "Isn't it wrong to laugh?" when the criminals get shot or have their butts pierced with sharp spikes.
Violent Night lives up to its title which means 'night of brutality' and fortunately the censorship of this film is not as brutal as usual.
David Harbor doesn't seem to need too much effort in carrying out action scenes because he has appeared as Red Guardian in Black Widow and Hopper in Stranger Things. In dramatic and melancholy moments, David Harbor also chews it very, very smoothly so it's easy for the audience to digest. The longing for the normal life that he is trying to pursue and his past life before becoming Santa Claus makes this figure even more begging for affection. If you want to know what Santa Claus did before he became Santa Claus, this film has the answer.
The John Leguizamo we know from the Ice Age franchise, John Wick, and the voice of Bruno in Encanto, performed very well as the main villain named Mr. Scrooges here. Make sure you keep your eyes wide open when you duel Mr. Scrooge and Santa because it's not only traumatic, this scene will also make you think about setting up an appointment with a therapist.
FILM RELEASE IN DECEMBER 2022
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