Xmas Leftovers: Silent Night

2023, John Woo (Face/Off) -- download

One. This is not bringing John Woo back to Hollywood. And, fuck, its been 20 years since his last American movie?!?! I blame Affleck.

Two. Its barely an Xmas movie. It could have tried harder to be an Xmas movie, but instead it just plunked a date on a calendar, and made some use of trappings.

Three. The gimmick is only kind of fun.

Four. The protaganist is not exactly the most sympathetic character.

So, we begin in media res with Brian Godluck in an ugly Xmas Sweater, a single jingle bell around his neck, chasing fleeing vehicles, as the passengers of each car shoot at each other -- Gang Bangers violently taking it out on each other, ignoring that the alleys they drive through are a residential neighbourhood. Godluck stops one car with a piece of rebar through the windscreen, and the other crashes. Scary Tattooed Gangster gets out and shoots Godluck in the throat; leaves him for dead.

Recovery montage. Brian no longer has a voice. He cannot even scream his rage and grief. And nobody else has any dialogue. There are words from TVs, spoken words over PAs, but none of the cast, supporting or otherwise, barely ever say anything. Its an interesting gimmick served to reduce conversation and focus on Godluck and his response to the loss of his family, and voice.

As expected in most of these revenge flicks, he does not react well. The police are not shown to be doing anything, despite one detective showing some concern. Weeks become months and all Godluck does is sit and drink and stare at the Xmas tree which remains standing. He and his wife are trapped in their grief and he is only making it worse. Finally she leaves him and after one attempt visit tothe detective, he decides on a course of action --- kill em all by Dec 24 of the following year.

What follows are more montages of our "hero" preparing to be an ultra-badass at investigating, infiltration and killing. As an action movie, its passable, with the expected quality of John Woo and his signature gunfu. As a movie, well.... very little makes sense nor does it care to. But nothing is as stylish as it could have been considering its his return to Hollywood. 

Disappointing.