Violent Night (2022)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A weary Santa Claus, who is secretly an immortal Viking warrior, must fight off a group of mercenaries who have taken a family hostage during the holiday season.
The story
A bitter and jaded Santa Claus, who is actually an immortal Viking warrior named Nicomund the Red, is ready to retire after centuries of dealing with human greed. When a group of mercenaries with holiday-themed codenames, led by 'Mr. Scrooge', invades a mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, to steal a large sum of cash, they take a wealthy family hostage. Santa arrives at the estate and must navigate the chaos to rescue the family members, including a young girl named Trudy, while facing off against the mercenaries who are on his 'Naughty List'.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Santa Claus, an immortal Viking warrior known as Nicomund the Red, is weary of humanity's greed and plans to retire. During a Christmas gathering at a mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, a group of mercenaries led by 'Mr. Scrooge' raids the home to steal $300 million. They take the family, including a young girl named Trudy, hostage. Santa intervenes, and the two sides engage in a violent confrontation. During the fight, Santa's reindeer are scattered. Santa eventually discovers that the mercenaries are on his 'Naughty List'. He manages to rescue several family members while fighting through the mercenaries. The plot reveals that the family's patriarch, Jason, hid the money in an outdoor nativity scene to escape his mother's influence. In the final confrontation, Santa faces Scrooge in an abandoned cabin. After a brutal fight, Santa manages to defeat Scrooge but is shot by a mercenary named Thorp. However, the family's belief in Santa's existence allows him to be revived. He receives his war hammer, Skullcrusher, and his reindeer, and departs to continue his deliveries.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tommy Wirkola
- Writers
- Pat Casey · writer; Josh Miller · writer
- Cast and characters
- David Harbour · Santa Claus; John Leguizamo; Alex Hassell; Alexis Louder; Beverly D'Angelo
- Genres
- action; comedy; Christmas; heist; satire; black comedy
- Themes
- sacrifice; faith; tradition
- Tone and mood
- action; violent; humorous
- Setting
- Greenwich, Connecticut during the Christmas season.
- Premise and plot tags
- holiday; home invasion; mercenaries; mythology
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was noted for its high-energy action and unique take on the Santa Claus mythos.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 74% · scale: percentage · review count: 215; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 76% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film features a Santa Claus who is an immortal Viking warrior.; A sequel, Violent Night 2, is planned for 2026.; The film was shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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