Violent Night

Directed by Tommy Wirkola, Violent Night details the carnage that ensues after Santa Claus (David Harbour) finds himself forced to intervene after a group of terrorists, led by John Leguizamo’s Jimmy Martinez, hold a wealthy family hostage. It’s a decidedly larger-than-life premise that’s employed to erratic yet entertaining effect by Wirkola, as the filmmaker, armed with Pat Casey and Josh Miller’s script, delivers an entertaining endeavor that does, for the most part, effectively exploit its decidedly irresistible setup – with the picture ultimately receiving plenty of mileage out of Harbour’s compelling performance and a swath of gleefully broad action set-pieces. There’s little doubt, however, that Violent Night‘s overlong running time and periodic missteps prevent it from becoming the instant classic for which Wirkola is striving, with, for example, the picture’s pervasive tongue-in-cheek atmosphere is occasionally more pronounced than one might’ve preferred. (And it doesn’t help, either, that some of the action sequences have been infused with a dimly-lit, frustratingly frenetic sensibility that drains them of their excitement and impact.) Such concerns are rendered moot by a tremendously satisfying (and appreciatively brutal) final stretch that ensures Violent Night concludes on an exceedingly positive note, with the end result a mostly stirring horror comedy that undoubtedly has the potential to become a holiday staple in the years ahead.

*** out of ****