Review by knowledgefiend

Violent NIght is different than the trailers you may have seen for it. It hits the standard Christmas beats (marriage trouble, sweet kids, people finding the Christmas spirit) and pushes said beats into a genre they usually don't mix with. It manages to be both John Wick with Santa, while pulling on your heart strings like Miracle on 34th Street. There's a cartoony tone just like Home Alone that doesn't go too far violence-wise, so as to take you out of the movie by being to grotesque.

While the first 5-10 minutes are a little try hard and, "This ain't your daddies Santa." Think 'Bad Santa' and the rest of those types of movies. But the rest of the movie comes off as authentic, owing in no small way to the casts earnest delivery and the direction. David Harbour is perfect for playing broken, tough guys with soft hearts and he really brings it here. He's playing it (emotionally) straight even though the movie isn't. The rest of the cast are equally devoted to their roles (however absurd).

I feel like this may be a classic in the future. Or at least cult classic.