Violent Night. A feel good Christmas movie that keeps the spirit of Christmas alive, then Santa uses a sledgehammer to smash the head of a bad guy.
Die Hard meets Santa Claus with a sprinkle of R-Rated Home Alone while simultaneously feeling like a Christmas movie.
The Christmas feel of this movie actually has a very wholesome relationship between Santa and the little girl hostage. Without her, this whole movie doesn't work. Santa has his own redemption arc and has get back his Christmas spirit while having to find his violent origin to save the day. This movie does a really good job of feeling like a Christmas while also being very gruesome with kickass action scenes. This is not a family movie and it's very bloody.
Downside, beside the little girl, the rest of the hostages you don't care about. None of them feel likable to me. The bad guys are bland and only serve as cannon fodder for Santa.
Overall, 9/10. I highly recommend. I could use a Santa origin story for sure.
