Violent Night

13/10, no notes. Seriously, I have no criticisms of it at all. I can’t even pretend. Sometimes, a piece of media comes along that is so sure of itself, that is constructed in such a way that it deflects criticism by just being what it is, that to search for one misses the point. And that’s Violent Night. It knows the premise of Santa combating terrorists during a home invasion gone wrong is insane, and it knows exactly what the proper balance is to approach it; it neither leans into the insanity too much, nor does it ever wink at you and act clever. The holiday sentiment is genuine, the action is intense and cathartic, and the spirit of fun is throughout. The direction is excellent, the acting is enjoyable, the action is well choreographed and can get VERY inventive (including hands down the best kill of 2022 and most inventive kill I’ve ever seen), the soundtrack is fun, the dialogue is snappy … seriously. This movie is too much fun.