MOVIE REVIEW: SILENT NIGHT

On Christmas Eve, a man witnesses the death of his young son when the boy gets caught in crossfire between warring gangs. Recovering from a wound that cost him his voice, he soon embarks on a bloody and grueling quest to punish those responsible.

Director: John Woo

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Scott Mescudi, Harold Torres, Catalina Sandino Moreno

Release Date: December 1, 2023

Genre: Action

Rated R for strong bloody violence, drug use and some language.

Runtime: 1h 44m

John Woo's return to American cinema, Silent Night, is a ridiculously scripted B movie that's more fun than it should be thanks to his signature style of action and Joel Kinnaman's engaging central performance.  The dialogue free gimmick is an interesting approach and it does manage to give the film a certain kind of rhythm that works in the film's favor.  Woo is surprisingly restrained especially during the film's opening act which sets up Joel Kinnaman's character and his mental state.  It would have been easy to jump right into the action from the get go but Woo does an admirable job of setting up the emotional stakes with these opening sequences.  That's not to say the story is deeply layered or original because its not.  It stretches credibility on multiple occasions especially since it expects the audience to believe the main character can become an expert in driving, shooting, fighting and surveillance in a span of six months in order to battle hood gangsters straight from central casting.  The sole reason this works at all is due to an impressive and incredibly committed performance from Joel Kinnaman.  His performance drives the film as he proves he's more than up to the challenge of working sans dialogue.  Kinnaman is able to transmit a massive amount of internal emotions through his facial expressions.  It makes for a fascinating turn as he lets us into the character's tortured psyche which is driven solely by loss and vengeance, so much so that you could make the case that this is the best Punisher movie sans the branding.  All and all, Silent Night works better than it should thanks to Woo's energetic action and Kinnaman's engaging performance that makes it far more watchable that the script deserves.   

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: FOR GREATER GLORY

The Cristero War serves as the backdrop of this historical drama following a group of devoted Mexican patriots who risk their lives to defeat an oppressive regime, and defend the freedom of future generations. Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Eva Longoria, and Peter O'Toole star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Dean Wright

Cast: Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Santiago Cabrera, Rubén Blades.

Release Date: Jun 01, 2012

Rated R for some Disturbing Images and War Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 23 min.

Genres: Historical Epic, Historical Film, War Adventure

Review:

Mexican history is filled with revolutions and martyrs, real life heros who lived and died heroically for their beliefs. This rich history seems ready made for Hollywood epics but Hispanics are have never gotten a landmark film to hang their hat on. While its heart is in the right place, For Greater Glory is a overstuffed, underwritten and filled with needless melodrama. First time director, Dean Wright, never lets his film breath. His heavy handed direction turns this true story into a hallmark movie hitting every cliché you can think of. He under utilizes an impressive cast of a Hispanic actors and actresses. The script doesn’t do Wright any favors. The characters are underwritten and the main plot is unfocused. The story meanders listlessly as it moves from character to characters while never allowing the audience to get close to any of them. Sadly, the whole production is impressively staged and costumed even though I’m still confused why it wasn’t shot in our native Spanish. A few emotional beats hit home near the end, mainly due to a rather dashing Andy Garcia, but it’s not enough to salvage this misfire.

D+