‘Silent Night’ (2023) voiceless violence

Action movies are not known for great dialogue. Granted, some of the cheesiest lines in action films go on to have a life of their own, but they’re more enjoyed for how bad they are than being any good. To tell its no-nonsense story of grief through violence, Silent Night avoids the issue altogether, creating a revenge story that is near wordless.

The result is admittedly intriguing. John Woo manages to captivate audiences even with his character unable to speak. It helps that the film’s story is as simple as it gets. Brian and his family are enjoying a lovely Christmas morning when gang violence erupts outside their door, with their son catching a stray bullet. Possessed by vengeance, he immediately seeks out the killers in the film’s opening scene of mayhem and murder. The killers walk away, and Brian is left injured and voiceless.

Silent Night undoubtedly uses quiet effectively in its action. The tension is brought up when the only sounds are bullets flying, an engine roaring, and bones being broken, with the occasional cry of pain. It’s the scenes without action that make the film a bore. Brian’s period of rehabilitation and preparation take about a year’s worth of montages, that take serious patience to get through.

The pacing of the film feels off, giving you an opening and a closing that satisfy, but a middle that’s middling. It’s mundane, and Joel Kinnaman can only silently scowl so much before it starts to lose impact. His grief is not exactly a laughing matter, but the film is missing the kind of charm you get from classic bad dialogue. When it comes to conveying that level of personality, the characters don’t even go for a slightly raised eyebrow.

There’s also the fact that the film creates questions, thanks to its tight-lipped presentation. Brian’s decisions in the film don’t always seem to match up to his end goal, making it hard to connect with the film, since you’re constantly locked into his character. Show and don’t tell is great and all, but it doesn’t quite land when what’s shown is unclear.

While it can’t be understated that the action is fulfilling, even that has its problems. The use of CGI in some moments are blatant and jarring, and for all the film’s seriousness, its grip on reality loosens when people are able to take 20 bullets and still take off like a track star going for gold. Despite its problems, I can’t say Silent Night isn’t worth watching. It’s a unique film, and it deserves attention just for its ability to convey the necessities with hardly a word.

Rating: Catch it on cable

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.