Silent Night Review: Nothing new in this 104-minute outing
This outing can be left alone even if you are a big fan of the actor and the director
Hyderabad: A father avenging the death of his son is not new to fiction. It also offers multiple hues including action, drama, sentiments, whodunit planning.
Why would John Woo in his return to action cinema not choose Silent Night, an action cinema. Unfortunately, his script goes awry. Don’t forget John Woo delivered some of the best Hollywood action movies including Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Face/Off. The vendetta theory was witnessed as early as 2021 when Jason Statham set out to avenge his fallen son in Wrath of Man. In Silent Night, it is Joel Kinnaman’s turn to avenge his fallen son.
The story is simple. Brian Godlock (Joel Kinnaman) is happily married to Saya (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and they have an eight-year-old son Taylor Michael. On Christmas eve, Brian and Taylor are playing in their yard. There is a turf war between two warring gangs. Taylor is killed and Brian is wounded. Post surgery Brian’s vocal cords are damaged. Saya tries to help Brian, but he has only revenge on mind.
He spends the next year plotting and planning to serve justice of his own. Detective Dennis Vassel (Scott Mescudi – Kid Cudi as he is famously known as) offers to help in Taylor’s case. Brain uses the meet to gain information about the gang responsible for his son’s death and its leader Playa (Harold Torres). The remaining story is about how Brain trains (weights, firearms, martial arts, and the likes) and whether he succeeds in bringing a crime lord down.
Not since Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’, have I seen a silent movie. The similarities end there. There is nothing fresh or new in this 104-minute outing.
Actors like Jason Statham and Liam Neeson (Cold Pursuit) succeeded in delivering as they had their own skillsets to showcase. If Statham showcased his ability to perform the action sequences, Neeson showcased his one-liners and his emotive quotient to perfection. It is disappointing to see that an actor of Kinnaman’s calibre is not given anything productive to do on screen and must only show up to kill people.
He is at his best when he shows his emotions and proves it in scenes depicting the minute flashback sequences and when he is recovering post-surgery. He as the mute father, unable to express himself guy is good at best. It is also disappointing to see a director of Woo’s calibre not try something new this festive season.
With OTT platforms throwing up movies that encourage family viewing, Woo’s Silent Night is a good example of non-family viewing. This is not something that must come out in the festive season. To those coming in to expect a decent screen presence of the rapper Kid Cudi, this would be a huge disappointment. The other cast are just screen fillers who are there to either kill or get killed. Catalina has nothing much to do.
Looks like Hollywood continues to be the taboo for Woo even after a 15-year hiatus. It looks like Woo chose to combine the Wrath of Man and Rocky templates and throw in a good actor in place of the stars expecting a different outcome. Kinnaman is a good actor. He is this generation’s Robo Cop. He has shown his acting prowess in Johan Falk and Altered Carbon. He was destined for more. To Silent Night, he should have loudly said no.
This outing can be left alone even if you are a big fan of the actor and the director.
