4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: VIOLENT NIGHT

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Dec 03, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

The wealthy Lightstone family are generally pretty terrible, self-centered people. It’s Christmas time, and siblings Jason (Alex Hassell) and Alva (Edi Patterson) are once again headed to the family compound in Greenwich, CT for the holidays, each hoping to win over matriarch Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo) to become the next CEO of the family business. Jason has been separated from his wife Linda (Alexis Louder) and daughter Trudy (Leah Brady), but they are pretending to be a happy family, while Linda arrives with her obnoxious wannabe-influencer teenage son Bert (Alexander Elliot) and trophy boyfriend, aspiring actor Morgan Steel (Cam Gigandet). However, the awkward family party is soon interrupted by a group of terrorists, led by a man calling himself Mr. Scrooge (John Leguizamo), who take the family hostage, demanding the $300M that Gertrude has stashed away in a vault beneath the house.

Meanwhile, Santa Claus (David Harbour) has become disillusioned with the whole idea of Christmas and the holidays. He is getting drunk at a bar, depressed about how commercialized and greedy kids have gotten. He is contemplating calling it quits, and making this his last Christmas. He ends up at the Lightstone compound, just as the gunfire begins, which scares off his reindeer, and leaves him stranded. Santa doesn’t want to get involved, but realizes that young Trudy, who’s on his Nice List, is one of those trapped inside. He begins to embrace his rage as he goes on a one-man vigilante mission, channeling his former life as ruthless Norwegian raider Nicomund the Red. As he brutally eliminates these terrorists from his naughty list, he hopes to not only save the day, but Christmas as well.

The last time I saw this movie was when it was released in the theater last year, but re-watching it again on this 4K disc, I was quickly reminded of how great this film is, and how it is destined to become a holiday classic. For an action movie, it had be constantly laughing out loud.

I’ve never been part of the camp that considers Die Hard to be a Christmas movie, so Violent Night is the true Christmas action film I’ve always wanted—and it has a very Die Hard-like theme, with Santa Claus taking on the John McClane role. The film finds this highly-entertaining balance between action, humor and heart. It takes the edge off of the more gruesome kills by adding in some laughs. David Harbour is perfectly cast as this version of Santa Claus, who starts off as this drunk, dejected man who hates his job. However, there’s still a glimmer of heart buried in there, and he just needs someone to reawaken his Christmas spirit. That comes from this little girl Trudy, who still believes in him, and is asking for his help. As Santa uses his Christmas Magic (and a lot of brutal force) to take down the bad guys, his old life as a Viking warrior starts to rekindle the joy inside him. This is the most kick-ass Santa we’ve ever seen in a movie!

The supporting cast also helps to bring the humor, especially the foul-mouthed Beverly D’Angelo (Christmas Vacation) as matriarch Gertrude, who doesn’t fall for the platitudes from her children, and Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones) as her ass-kissing daughter Alva, who even named her son Bertrude in an attempt to get in good with her mother. The rest of Alva’s family are just as bad—when one of the bad guys finally slaps her obnoxious, entitled teenage son, you want to cheer. The only normal people in this bunch is Jason’s wife Linda and their daughter Trudy. Though Jason is actively trying to break away from the dysfunctional Lightstones…if they manage to survive this ordeal.

Universal had previously released Violent Night on Blu-ray last holiday season, but now it makes its way onto 4K disc for the first time. The 4K release looks and sounds amazing, with pristine video that provides a clean, clear picture with an excellent level of detail in textures and faces. Colors are rich and beautiful, even in the darker exterior scenes. The audio track offers clear dialogue and makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to make the action sequences feel more immersive, and the rocking holiday soundtrack that plays during many of these scenes also does a nice job of filling the room.

The 4K and Blu-ray discs come packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, along with a glossy carboard slipcover, and an insert containing a code to redeem for a 4K MA digital copy of the film. Both discs contain the same bonus material (which is identical to the previous Blu-ray release)—an entertaining filmmaker commentary, 19 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, and about 16 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:51:31)

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, French 7.1 DTS, French (Canada) 5.1 DTS, Spanish 7.1 DTS, Japanese 5.1 DTS, German Dolby Atmos, Italian 7.1 DTS
Subtitles: English SDH, French, French (Canada), Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, Czech, Chinese (Traditional)

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service, Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD, French 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 1/31/2025):

4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
The same bonus material can be found on both discs. Play All, or select from:

Deleted and Extended Scenes (19:02)
Collection of 9+ deleted/extended scenes. Play All, or select from:
- Family Arrives at the Mansion (:57)
- Jason and Linda in Bedroom (3:02)
- Krampus Sees Trudy’s Radio (1:10)
- Santa on the Roof (:48)
- Walk to the Manger (1:35)
- Family Resolution (2:03)
- Bad Dad (1:34)
- Cast Call Back (1:12) – cast credits sequence featuring bloopers
- Extended Scenes (6:42) – from the party scene
Quarrelin’ Kringle (3:45)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the film’s very different version of Santa Claus, and what David Harbour brought to the role. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Tommy Wirkola, producer David Leitch, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Jonathan ‘Jojo’ Eusebio, producer Kelly McCormick, and stars David Harbour (“Santa”), John Leguizamo (“Scrooge”) & Alex Hassell (“Jason”).
Santa’s Helpers: The Making of Violent Night (5:56)
The cast and filmmakers talk about how the film came about, the tone of the movie, the cast, bringing in the stunt crew to act in the movie, the production design, the costumes, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Tommy Wirkola, producer David Leitch, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Jonathan ‘Jojo’ Eusebio, scenic artist/on set painter Deborah Elizabeth, head greens person Corey Ticknor, costume designer Laura DeLuca, and stars David Harbour, Alexis Louder (“Linda”), John Leguizamo & Alex Hassell.
Deck the Halls with Brawls (6:04)
The cast and filmmakers talk about some of the film’s big fight scenes. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Tommy Wirkola, producer Kelly McCormick, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Jonathan ‘Jojo’ Eusebio, fight coordinator Phong Giang (“Tinsel”), and stars David Harbour & John Leguizamo.
Feature Commentary (1:51:31)
A really entertaining commentary from with Tommy Wirkola, producer Guy Danella, and co-writers Pat Casey & Josh Miller. They share a lot of fun and interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and how the film changed over time.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Violent Night is a highly-entertaining and fun laugh-out-loud action holiday film—the Christmas version of Die Hard that I’ve always wanted. David Harbour is a delight as this crass, bitter and ornery version of Santa Claus, who channels his former Viking warrior to brutally take down a group of terrorists harassing a family on Christmas Eve, while also reconnecting with his own Christmas spirit. Universal’s 4K release looks and sounds great, but doesn’t offer any new bonus material in addition to what was included on last year’s Blu-ray release. This is definitely a movie that should make your holiday film rotation, and if you don’t already own a copy, this is the version to buy!