"Violent Night" (2022)



2022’s “Violent Night,” is from the director of movies like, “Dead Snow” and “Dead Snow 2” (horror films about nazi zombies) and “Spermagedon” (and animated film about sex), Tommy Wirkola. That might tell you everything you need to know about the film. It is an action-comedy set at Christmas, involving Santa having to save a rich family from a team of armed robbers. One imagines it is the movie resulting an argument over whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie, or just an action movie taking place at Christmas… where someone finally exclaimed, “we need a Die Hard WITH Santa!”

I for one, can appreciate the joke, and find the movie endearing if a bit too crass and violent to be Christmasy.

That said, “Violent Night” also comes with a message that is a trend in today’s culture. Another movie from the same year zeroed in on the same message. (More on that next week.) It is the idea that Christmas is all about some nebulous “belief” in the potential good of humanity, and that that very belief has power to make it reality. Almost like a secular version of Pentecostalism that preaches belief preceding reality, or you can “faith” stuff into existence.

I—as I would argue most orthodox Christians—don’t buy that. For me, it is WHAT you believe and not THAT you believe that makes the object of faith true. In other words, faith in something that is false will never not be false.

The film opens with the real Santa in a bar on Christmas Eve, taking a break from his work of delivering presents. He is drinking because he has become disillusioned with Christmas. Kids these days are not thankful for presents; they are just addicted to materialism. They don’t want the things they ask for, just whatever they don’t have yet. And once they get it, they tire of it instantly as they start wanting the next thing. (This is the first of many good insights and mini messages this film delivers.) It is a funny scene because the people in the bar begin to realize something it strange about the man, and once he goes to the roof the barmaid tries to stop him only to discover him flying off in a real sleigh with real reindeer… only for drunk Santa to barf on her.

The movie proceeds to set up the “Die Hard” scenario, and Santa ends up at the rich family’s compound as it has been taken over by the highly organized robbers. Like John McClane, he ends up stuck and is forced to help the family out, even while he quickly decides he wants to help, for the sake of a little girl who is on his “nice” list, and believes in him.

Without getting into too many spoilers (even though this is a formulaic action film and I guarantee you know the outcome!) here are some of the messages (problematic and otherwise) the film is communicating:

-Christmas is magical and real, but Santa can’t figure out why or how that works. (The film never quite gets to an explanation of Christmas, beyond the power of faith in humanity’s potential for good. It even hints at a huge life-change for Santa, who used to be an evil Viking warrior. But we never see his conversion.)

-People need to choose to follow their “nice” or “naughty” impulses, and that somehow involves belief. (The film also points out that it is harder for adults to believe, and therefore harder for them to choose good.)

-There are good people and bad people, even while that involves choices people make and is not an either/or prospect. It is ok to violently fight, and even brutally kill bad people in an “it’s them or me” approach to life. Early on there is a funny exchange between Santa and the girl as to language—should you use “ass” (naughty), “butt-hole” (questionable), or “anus” (technical). They decide to be good regarding speech, but later decide the brutal murder is good if you are killing bad people.

-Belief changes reality and is not merely embracing a truth. Faith creates “truth.” In this film, Santa is real BECAUSE enough people believe in him. This is a typical animistic-like tenet, that much of post-modern, post-truth culture embraces in a symbolic way. In this film, there is not objective reality behind the magic of Christmas, or if there is, it is not explored.

-Even when the villain of the piece comes to realize that Santa is real, it does not change him. Realizing a truth does not impact his faith or cause any conversion. His “naughtiness” is not born of ignorance. He truly hates Christmas. Once he realizes the thing he hates is not a symbol, but a reality, it does not change his hatred. He goes from trying to hurt the symbol of Christmas, to trying to literally kill Christmas.

I think this last point is a refreshing contrast to the problematic message about faith in this film. People often lament that God does not show Himself more blatantly in our world and simply requires people to exercise faith in Him unseen. While I and many would argue that the evidences and obviousness of God is fairly strong, it is also true that an even more blatant revelation of God than we already have will not change most hearts. If people reject the evidences of creation, scripture, and the changed lives of many followers, they will also reject more miracles and God showing up in person.

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