Movie Madness: Violent Night (2022)
(Available on Prime)
Full disclosure: just based on the description and the movie poster, I was already ready to declare this THE BEST MOVIE EVER – and I was right!
We begin on a Christmas Eve in Europe. There are mall Santas sitting at a bar – or are they mall Santas? One of them seems very disgruntled—children nowadays are just ungrateful brats looking for the next present. The other Santa at the bar picks up his tab, which warms the heart (every time a tab is picked up an angel gets its wings, right?). The disgruntled Santa leaves in a way that leaves little doubt he is no ordinary mall Santa.
We cut to a snowy state in the US, in the car with adorable Trudy and her divorced parents Jason and Linda, heading to Jason’s very rich mother’s house for Christmas Eve. There we also meet Jason’s greedy sister, her bratty son, and her airhead boyfriend.
Unfortunately, these aren’t the only creatures who are stirring. Very quickly the mistletoe hits the fan as a group of thieves move in. But Santa is there too, and he’s not having it!
I liked a lot about this movie: how Santa was initially reluctant to do anything but decided he had to and how he didn’t give up once he decided to help (well, mostly). How he remembered that he used to, long, long ago, be a mighty warrior. How he loved Mrs. Claus and just wanted to see her again. How he had no idea how his own magic worked. And I always like the idea of bullies getting what they deserve! I thought a lot of it made clever use of some typical Santa tropes. The actor who played Santa, David Harbour, was perfect.
Trudy was adorable but at times this verged on her being too sappy sweet—the exception being, of course, the part where she goes all Home Alone (rated R version) on the crooks. That somehow seemed kind of shoe-horned in (I know, I know—I’m not happy when she’s sappy sweet and I’m not happy when she’s kicking a**. What can I say?).
I am adding this to my annual list of Christmas movies to watch, to be watched after Die Hard and before Muppet Christmas Carol – high praise indeed.
Close friends of Dr. Plague and Ted the Rat saw this movie and were rather “meh” about it; however, this is just our kind of movie.
Overall ingenious uses for Christmas decorations and lights
Gratuitous killing of domestic help (their poor families – on Christmas Eve!)
Gratuitous male peeing (ick), including Santa
Gratuitous John Leguizamo (a little goes a long way)
Imaginative (and literal) use of a Nutcracker
Unexpected Santa beefcake
One million times better than Scream 6.
