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Summary
Silent Nighttells the action-packed story of Brian Godlock (Joel Kinnaman), a father who becomes obsessed with killing the gang members who murdered his child. A great example of anaction movie set at Christmas,Silent Nightis a fast-paced character study of a man who becomes hell-bent on violence after a tragedy changes him forever. The movie’s title is a play on the holiday season and the fact that there is no dialogue at all.
Thanks to the smart direction of John Woo, who is famous for his unique and stylish fight scenes,Silent Nightis a compelling action film about a father’s desire for revenge.
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How Does Silent Night End?
Silent Nighthas a memorable and explosive ending. After grieving the death of his son Taylor, Brian becomes hyper-focused on killing the gang members. When December 24th, 2022 arrives, Brian gets into several violent fights with Playa’s (Harold Torres) gang members. Detective Dennis Vassel (Scott Mescudi) and Brian realize that they should work together, and after a bleak and miserable year, Brian has some hope that he can achieve his goal.
Like thestrong hitmen in theJohn Wickfranchise, Brian stops at nothing to get what he wants. He fights back against Playa’s girlfriend and murders her before the most memorable action scene ofSilent Night: a fight between Playa and Brian. Vassel shoots Playa and then Brian kills Playa. Since Brian can’t speak as a result of Playa’s gang ruining his vocal cords at the beginning of the movie, the altercation between Playa and Brian is even more unforgettable. The pain that Brian is in is written across his face in every scene. His grief and loss are particularly evident the moment when he avenges his son’s death.
December 1st 2023
104 minutes
53
Where To Watch
Rent on AppleTV
While someaction movies can be underwhelming,Silent Nightmanages to keep audiences engaged when the characters don’t even say any words because Brian’s mission is so sad and brutal. In the final scene ofSilent Night, Vassel and Brian are dying, and Brian imagines that his son Taylor never passed away. Brian’s wife Saya (Catalina Sandino Moreno) visits the cemetery where Taylor is buried and sees the train set that Brian had left there for Taylor. Saya has an emotional note from Brian that states that if he passes away attempting to hurt the people who killed Taylor, he will accept that.
In an interview withInverse.com, Joel Kinnaman shared how much he liked working with director John Woo onSilent Night.The actor said:
“Instead of filming the person talking and having to cut to the people listening, he could just design one beautiful shot that tells the story. That’s why this film is unique. It has that visual poetry he created, and really hard-boiled intense action.”
What Is Silent Night About?
Silent Nightmay be an action film, but it has an emotional core and there are many sad moments throughout. After the gang kills Brian and Saya’s son Taylor, Brian attempts to fight back and is injured instead. While Saya wants to be there for him as he heals, his vocal cords have been ruined, and he will never be the same again. Brian finds himself alone when his wife decides that she can’t handle their marriage anymore. While he’s focused on getting back at Playa, who may not be one of thebest movie villains of 2023but is an otherwise effective enemy, Brian feels even more alone.
In an interview withThe Ringer, John Woo explained his approach toSilent Nightand how he focused on Brian’s character arc. This attention to detail is clear in every scene. Woo said:
“I had decided that the drama—all the action—I would try to make it more realistic. Even the fight scenes, it was all natural and raw. I usually do one long take without any cuts to show all the action. I think it feels more realistic to the audience. When I’m shooting, I’m totally concentrated on the character and the story.”
Just likehorror movies set at Christmasare intriguing since these types of stories are meant to be happy and heartwarming,Silent Nightis effective because the Christmas Eve setting is a sad reminder of what Brian has lost. The rest ofSilent Nightfocuses on Brian’s training and prep work for his big plan: to murder the gang on December 24th, 2022. Brian is ruthless and single-minded about this idea. After learning more about the gang from Vassel, Brian kidnaps a man who is part of the gang led by Playa. Brian attacks him and knows that he has enough proof to take down the gang once and for all. With every piece of information that he gains, Brian becomes more and more convinced that he’s doing the right thing.
Before the end ofSilent Night, Brian kills Playa’s gang members. When Playa sends out a message that he needs support at his home, Brian knows that this is the moment he has been waiting for, and he gets ready to kill Playa.
What Is Silent Night’s Rotten Tomatoes Score?
Silent Nighthas a low Rotten Tomatoes score of 58%. The movie also has a low Audience Score of 51%. This isn’t as bad as it could be, as several movies have a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, including theJ-Horror remakeOne Missed Call. SinceSilent Nightis a movie without any dialogue, people either love it or feel that it is lackluster.
Other Movies John Woo Has Directed:
In an interview with Rogerebert.com, John Woo explained that he liked theSilent Nightscript right away and knew it was the right choice for his next movie. For him, the lack of dialogue made it interesting:
“I am always looking for something different. All I was getting offered was action, action, action, and I was getting tired. I wanted to make a change and so when I came back four years ago and got the screenplay for ‘Silent Night’ I was so excited about it.”
