With Christmas right around the corner, moviegoers worldwide will undoubtedly be by the fire, hot chocolate in hand, reeling out their Christmas favorites – Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, Elf, you name it! Fun for the whole family. And at night, when the kids are asleep dreaming of reindeer and elves, adults can kick back and watch some classic Christmas violence with Die Hard and Lethal Weapon! Or maybe head to the movies for a date night and watch what’s sure to be another classic in the making – Violent Night!

If you love a good festive movie, here are a few reasons to dig this action-packed Christmas extravaganza!

Credit: Violent Night

80s Nostalgia Trip

It was a common theme in the 80s to set your action movie around Christmas, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, and this carried on into the 90s with the likes of Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight. There’s something cool about people kicking ass around the holidays – and in Hollywood, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Many would argue that Die Hard is the best Christmas movie ever made. Some would say it’s too violent to be considered a Christmas movie, and some would say that the crown belongs on Home Alone’s head. But it’s safe to say Violent night draws inspiration from both of those classics!

Violent Night is set on Christmas Eve, just like Die Hard. It tells the story of a man who must single-handedly fight off a team of trained mercenaries when they show up to steal a massive fortune. Ring any bells? (Pun intended).

The movie is littered with Die Hard nostalgia and holds no shame in paying homage while also standing on its own two feet. The action scenes are intense and brutal, the humor is sharp, and the thrills are big! It does feel like John McClane retired and became Santa Claus!

Credit: Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Beverly D’Angelo Graces the Screen

It’s no coincidence that Beverly D’Angelo was cast in a lead role in Violent Night. After starring in of the most significant festive classics of all time, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, her presence in the movie can only add more nostalgia to the mix. And we’re pretty sure that was the intention!

D’Angelo plays powerfully, not to be messed with the matriarch of the family being held hostage, and delivers a knockout performance. You’ll enjoy her so much you’ll be streaming Christmas Vacation in no time!

Credit: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

John Leguizamo is an Experienced Christmas Villain

Credit: Violent Night

It’s no secret that John Leguizamo can play a villain with ease. With his breakout role as Benny Blanco in the gangster epic Carlito’s Way and his role as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, it’s safe to say the man is a go-to choice for a scary villain! His eyes carry so much menace without even needing to speak. He’s small in stature, but his persona is enormous!

Leguizamo plays Scrooge in Violent Night, a greedy psychopath who will do anything to get what he wants, including ruining Christmas. But a hidden easter egg some might miss is that Leguizamo played a villain in another classic Christmas movie many years back.

Leguizamo landed one of his first roles in Die Hard 2: Die Harder as Burke, a rogue military operative hellbent on destroying Christmas. The villains even wore white snow suits like they do in Violent Night. Easter egg or what?

Santa is Getting Tougher by the Year

Credit: Fatman (2020)

Violent Night is not the only movie where Santa takes out the bad guys. In 2020, Mel Gibson donned the red suit and played ol’ Chris in Eshom and Ian Nelms’ Fatman. Gibson starred as an unorthodox, rowdy Santa Claus who must fight off a professional hitman when a young man hires him after receiving a bag of coal for Christmas!

Although the movie was met with mixed reviews, it’s hard to tell if this is because it was a dud or because it stars Gibson. After some controversy, Gibson was welcomed back into Hollywood with Hacksaw Ridge and even nominated for another Oscar! But some people can’t seem to forgive him, and whether the movie is good or not, he will display hate.

Although Violent Night kicks up the notch slightly, Fatman doesn’t fall far behind and offers some great action. It’s likely that Fatman paved the way for Violent Night and made Hollywood realize – people do want to see Santa Claus mess up some bad guys! Here’s to hoping we get more kickass Santas in the future and David Harbour signs up for a sequel!Fatman