December has begun, which means that we’re a little over three weeks away from Santa Claus coming to town. This year, though, he’ll be delivering some season’s beatings… or at least David Harbour’s version of the bearded gift giver will be. The Stranger Things actor is bringing Santa Claus to life in the action-comedy Violent Night, which opens wide tomorrow, December 2. However, the 2022 movie release is already getting plenty of comparisons to Die Hard online, except this time, there’s no debate that this is a Christmas movie.
For years, Die Hard fans have gone back and forth over whether Bruce Willis’ first outing as John McClane should be officially classified as a Christmas movie given that it sees McClane facing off against Hans Gruber and his goons at Nakatomi Plaza on Christmas Eve. Obviously that doesn’t need to happen with Violent Night, as this story sees David Harbour’s Santa working to save a family that’s been taken hostage on Christmas Eve. More importantly, the way in which Harbour’s Santa is dispatching these mercenaries has understandably resulted in him being compared to McClane by who’ve already seen Violent Night. See for yourself:
Ho-Ho-Holy Moly! #ViolentNight was AMAZING! It’s Die Hard meets Home Alone – One of my favorite movie theater experiences in ages!! Bravo @DavidKHarbour – that was such a joy! Will drop my review tomorrow @MovieWorldPlus pic.twitter.com/9DxJg2qV3HNovember 30, 2022
The environment Santa Claus is working with in Violent Night, as shown in the trailer, is smaller than Nakatomi Plaza, but the mercenaries he runs into are no less dangerous, with John Leguizamo’s Jimmy Scrooge leading them. So if the mix of Die Hard and Home Alone mentioned above sounds appealing to you, this new movie is right up your alley. And just to be clear for those of you who might have gotten the wrong idea when Violent Night’s premise was first announced, this flick rests comfortably in the action genre, not the horror one.
Do not go into VIOLENT NIGHT expecting a horror movie. It isn’t one even remotely. It’s literally just Die Hard (and Die Hard 2) with Santa. Action movies can have gore. Doesn’t make them horror.November 29, 2022
Usually Santa Claus is depicted as a benevolent figure who doesn’t engage in violence, but David Harbour’s version won’t hesitate to throw fisticuffs and break out weapons in order to save some innocent lives. But it’s not just the manner in which Santa is fighting the bad guys that Violent Night is being compared to Die Hard. Not only does this movie earn its R rating with a lot of gore, but Harbour’s Santa also follows in John McClane’s footsteps by dropping many one-liners, though needless to say these ones are Christmas-themed.
Audiences will love #ViolentNight. An ode to Die Hard and Home Alone that doesn’t hold back on the gore or Christmas puns, with a pitch perfect David Harbour to lead the sleigh (sorry). As advertised – go in for a good time and you’ll get it.???????????? pic.twitter.com/NbuEBwvH9zNovember 30, 2022
If Die Hard comparisons aren’t enough for you, various people have also mentioned Universal Pictures’ Violent Night in the same breath as John Wick, which saw Keanu Reeves’ title assassin exacting revenge against the people who murdered his dog. However, as you’ll see in the below tweet, Violent Night also manages to mix in sentimentality in the midst of all the action.
VIOLENT NIGHT (2022): This is a film that shouldn’t work – DIE HARD with JOHN WICK choreography and a Hallmark streak of sentimentality? – but the whole thing holds together shockingly well because of Harbour’s commitment to the bit. pic.twitter.com/WUmGgLnOz9November 30, 2022
At the time of this writing, Violent Night ranks at 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, with CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes awarding it 4 out of 5 stars in his review. So while Violent Night might not be for everyone, overall it’s doing well for itself on the critical front, and maybe after seeing it you’ll add it to your Christmas movies rotation after it becomes available on home media. At the very least, we know it pairs well with Die Hard for a double feature.
And just like that, a new Christmas classic is born! A fun and clever ode to Die Hard and many Xmas films that more than lives up to its title. David Harbour is the ‘Baba Yaga’ of festive spirit. See it with a crowd. #ViolentNight https://t.co/unQWn03G5lNovember 28, 2022
Violent Night is just one of several major movies left to look forward to in 2022’s final weeks, but feel free to see what 2023 movie releases lie ahead as well. If you’re now in the mood to watch Die Hard, you can stream it on Starz.
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