Violent Night

A project that sounded hella fun on paper. Tommy Wirkola, director of some goofy horror flicks, taking on the Christmas vibe. The result is a little more childish than I'd expected though. The film is eager to reference Home Alone, and while it's a slight step up from that one, it feels more like a companion piece to that film.

Christmas is the one time the members of a wealthy family come together at their estate to spend some time together. This Christmas is going to be a little different, as a group of criminals are planning to steal their fortune. Things get even trickier when a disillusioned Santa Claus (the real one) gets mixed up in the heist.

The film takes a while to get going, leans a bit too much into the typical Christmas nonsense, and when the action hits, it doesn't hit quite hard enough. It's still an enjoyable romp, Wirkola makes sure you won't mistake this for a regular Christmas film, but I'd expected something a bit bigger and bolder.