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: X

 

A group of actors sets out to make an adult film in rural Texas under the noses of their reclusive hosts, but when the elderly couple catches their young guests in the act, the cast finds themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.

Director: Ti West

Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, Scott Mescudi

Release Date: March 18, 2022 

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and language

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

Ti West has always shown a deep affinity for 70's horror film with The Innkeepers and House of the Devil serving as prime examples.  X is his loving tribute to Grindhouse horror with heavy homages to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre before it veers into even stranger and grosser territory.  The plot itself is familiar and the first half of the film checks all the requisite boxes.  West does a great job of establishing the setup with wonderfully crafted shots and goofy dialogue from the future victims.  The performances from the cast are fun and loose which fits the film.  His approach is impressively restrained initially which makes the mayhem that follows all the more potent and impactful.  In the latter half of the film you get the strong sense that he wants to make the audience squirm in their seats and for the most part he succeeds.  There's violence and gore aplenty but it's never overly serious or heady.  X is the type of horror film that isn't setting to make some grand statement it just wants to titillate, shock, and even gross you out.

B+