Violent Night Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Violent Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 24, 2023

Despite appearances, Violent Night isn't breaking much new ground. Breaking bodies, sure, but hardly representing the first deviation from traditional Satna Claus stories and antics. Perhaps the most popular take on Santa beyond traditional confines is Bad Santa (forget the bad list sequel), which is in some ways an apt comparison because this Santa is also presented as a vomiting drunkard in the film's opening minutes. Movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night have also represented Santa, or at least an individual dressed like Santa, as a murdering maniac. Here, maybe the difference is that this is the real Santa who doesn't just distribute presents, but he also distributes pain. The movie is blood-soaked and nonsensical, but it should satisfy bloodthirsty audiences looking for something familiar but nontraditional at the same time.

It's Christmas at the Lightstone mansion and a troubling family reunion is about to get all the more interesting when several armed individuals shoot their way through security and hold the family hostage. Their demand: several hundred million dollars being held in the home's safe. It just so happens that the tables turn when Santa arrives. He's armed with not only a magical bag of presents but also a sledgehammer and a willingness to use it. As the night evolves, a not-so-jolly Santa takes the fight to well-armed bad guys in a fight for survival where the best gift is making it to morning in one piece.

The movie is casually derivative of other films, too. There's also a hint of Home Alone, which the movie gleefully acknowledges at the start, when Trudy talks up the film. Later on, she does all she can to assist Santa, springing various traps that would make Kevin McCallister proud, but some of these versions certainly wouldn't fit in a family-friendly film. Astute viewers will also pick up on a few Die Hard 2 winks and nods. Otherwise, the film does its best to make a name for itself. Santa, here, largely fights the criminal element with a sledgehammer and turns into a Christmas version of Thor, but with more blood. The film is violent but not grimly so, brutal but not exceedingly gory, teetering on over the top considering the merging of various bloody images and humorous undercurrents. Ultimately, the film is all about whatever it can muster within its Santa suit because the plot is otherwise entirely tiresome and derivative. This is certainly a movie made entirely for the premise, not to tell any kind of worthwhile story.

Does the film suffer for that? In a way, yes. The action can only carry it so far, and combined with a roster of unlikeable characters the empty story begins to weight the movie down early on. It does its best to rise above by taking the focus away from the dearth of narrative content and onto the various bouts of action and violence, but when Santa isn't sledgehammering someone, or when Trudy isn't going Home Alone on the bad guys, the movie can only drag itself to the next action scene. At least David Harbour pours heart and soul into a fairly soulless part. The character is not very likeable, like most everyone else in the movie, but he's game for the antics, theatrics, pyrotechnics, and all of the ics as he goes about doling out death to the newly naughty on his list.

Violent Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's 1080p transfer for Violent Night satisfies in all areas. While source noise prevalent, and at times pervasive, throughout the film, it rarely reaches beyond the point of troublesome annoyance. The image is free of any other serious source or encode issues. The image is adequately detailed, certainly not standing apart, at all, in 2023, but clearly delivering a generally satisfying HD image. Facial and clothing details are sufficiently crisp, ditto various environments inside the house. Low light exteriors don't offer much intense visual characteristics, but the image handles low light well enough. Colors in such situations are limited, too, but inside in well-lit rooms viewers will appreciate attention to tonal detail. The image is certainly not what would be described as overly vivid, but red blood and a few other color splashes are fine for accuracy and intensity. Black levels are not the best in the history of the format, pushing a little light in places. Skin tones are decent enough. A demo disc this is not, but very watchable it is.

Violent Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal delivers Violent Night to Blu-ray with a satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation meets all expectations, offering ample spacing and some fine subwoofer and surround usage to spice up the content. As expected, various fight scenes highlight the track. The elements are in fine shape, presenting with good clarity regardless of the power and content, while spacing is excellent. Listeners will always have a sonic lay of the land in their ears, and as various fight scenes play out on screen, audio matches up perfectly for placement and intensity. Musical cues are right on the money, equally clear and well defined and also enjoying good spacing. Front side is dominant, of course, but there's plenty of supportive surround content to be enjoyed. Atmospheric effects are seamlessly integrated. Dialogue is clear and centered for the duration. It is also well prioritized.

Violent Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Violent Night includes deleted and extended scenes, featurettes, and a commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p, 19:02 total runtime): Included are Family Arrives at the Mansion, Jason and Linda in Bedroom, Krampus Sees Trudy's Radio, Santa on the Roof, Walk to the Manger, Family Resolution, Bad Dad, Cast Call Back, and Extended Scenes.
• Quarrelin' Kringle (1080p, 3:45): Casting David Harbour for the specific qualities he brought to the film and the character he portrays. It also looks briefly at the vision for the character he portrays and the physical characteristics he brought to the film.
• Santa's Helpers: The Making of Violent Night (1080p, 5:56): Looking at the concept, the film's heroes and villains, cast and secondary characters, production design, costumes, and more.
• Deck the Halls with Brawls (1080p, 6:04): A closer look at the film's fight scenes, choreography, and some of the unique character-based and Christmas-themed antics seen during action.
• Audio Commentary: Director Tommy Wirkola, Producer Guy Danella, Writer Pat Casey, and Writer Josh Miller gather to discuss the film from a number of perspectives.

Violent Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Violent Night aims for different and entertaining, and it somewhat succeeds in both areas, but it also can't escape the feeling of derivative moviemaking, even if it portrays Santa as a hero with a sledgehammer. The plot is dull, and the support content doesn't satisfy, especially the characters. Genre fans will probably like it well enough, but this is definitely an example of disposable moviemaking. Universal's Blu-ray is well rounded, offering quality video and audio presentations paired with a few extras. Worth a look.