Violent Night
Overview
Violent Night is a 2022 action comedy film directed by Tommy Wirkola, starring David Harbour as Santa Claus. The film is a dark, violent, and hilarious twist on the Christmas movie genre. A group of mercenaries, led by Mr. Scrooge (John Leguizamo), take a wealthy family hostage in their mansion on Christmas Eve. The family includes a young girl, Trudy (Leah Brady), who still believes in Santa. Santa is at the mansion, delivering presents. He is a drunk, cynical, and world-weary man. He is also a former Viking warrior. He uses his combat skills to fight the mercenaries and save the family. The film is a Die Hard-style action movie, set at Christmas. The action sequences are brutal and inventive, with Santa using a sledgehammer, a Christmas tree, and a candy cane to kill his enemies. Violent Night was a critical and commercial success, earning over $76 million on a $20 million budget. The film was praised for its action, its humor, and David Harbour's performance.