A tormented father witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang's crossfire on Christmas Eve. While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he makes vengeance his life's mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen in order to avenge his son's death.
Cast of Silent Night
Silent Night Ratings & Reviews
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025I love a good gimmick. (obviously 🥓) But the no dialogue schtick just didn’t work at all for me. Kinnaman’s character being shot in the throat may explain why his character didn’t speak, but it did not at all explain why no one else says any words to him. It really felt like his wife, the firing range instructor, and literally everyone else he comes across would more likely be over-communicating to him rather than defaulting to non-verbal communication. I fully admit this complaint is very nitpicky, but I just did not feel any emotional stakes as a result of the no dialogue. His wife in particular, I would have expected to be emoting to him much more than just somber silent embraces. It really took me out of t he movie and I really don’t think it made the film more compelling simply by being able to claim there’s literally no dialogue in the film. Adding some dialogue could have gone a long way to telling a more moving story and I still think audiences could still latch on to the Silent Night title with a silent protagonist. John Woo can still direct action though, that’s for sure. The action is easily the best part of the film. The last third of the film is entertaining in that regard. The training montages which lead up to it just really challenged my patience though. I was not a fan of this. Really hope Woo grabs a new project soon, though, and doesn’t wait too long to get back into the director’s chair again.
- RyezooFebruary 4, 2025They really took the whole silent night thing literally. There must be like 7 lines of dialogue the whole movie. This is watchable with some unintentional humor we found. We also wont remember this movie come Christmas next year.
- jackmeatDecember 15, 2024My quick rating - 5.5/10. From the legendary John Woo, this flick delivers a gritty revenge tale infused with the director's trademark action sequences but falls short of the high bar set by Woo's earlier works. This dialogue-free film follows Brian (Joel Kinnaman), a grieving father who witnesses his young son’s tragic death during a gang's Christmas Eve shootout. Left voiceless by a wound sustained in the crossfire, Brian embarks on a relentless journey of vengeance, transforming himself into a weapon of retribution. The concept of a nearly wordless narrative is intriguing, but in execution, it feels more like a distraction than a storytelling innovation. While Kinnaman’s physical performance effectively conveys grief and rage, the absence of dialogue feels contrived. It’s understandable for Brian, whose injury renders him mute, but the silence from the rest of the cast often feels unnatural, pulling the viewer out of an otherwise engaging story. That said, the film delivers where John Woo excels: the action. The set pieces are visceral, thrilling, and meticulously choreographed, showcasing Woo’s signature style of balletic violence. The gunfights are as dynamic as ever, with a kinetic energy that keeps you glued to the screen. However, even these standout moments can’t fully compensate for a story that feels overly simplistic and occasionally forced. On the emotional side, this movie does manage to convey the depth of Brian’s grief and determination, even without dialogue. The story effectively captures the raw, singular focus of a parent bent on justice. Yet, the lack of meaningful interactions or supporting character arcs leaves the film feeling one-dimensional, with its emotional beats not hitting as hard as they could. As a Woo film, Silent Night has all the expected flair, but it’s hard not to compare it to his previous masterpieces. While the movie tries to redefine action storytelling with its dialogue-free approach, it doesn’t reach the heights of classics like Hard Boiled or Face/Off. The novelty of the silence is overshadowed by the missed opportunity to fully capitalize on the talent involved, especially with Kinnaman’s strong performance and Woo’s legendary direction. In the end, this film is an interesting experiment that showcases flashes of brilliance but doesn’t quite live up to the lofty expectations set by its creator’s legacy. Worth a watch for die-hard John Woo fans or action enthusiasts, which I fit into both categories, but for everyone, it may not quite hit the same level.
- parktool69December 1, 2024great christmas watch
- Chris CurtisOctober 28, 2024This movie was all about a novel (for current day, at least) idea: do a film with effectively no dialog. And it started off strong! The first twenty minutes or so worked well, but then it began to feel like a gimmick. And as more time went on, it just became annoying, because there were lots of places that there SHOULD have been dialog (by other characters) and the lack of it felt very artificial and frustrating. The action was good once it started, but that didn't happen until fairly late in the film. The film gets some points for the attempt and the solid (once it finally started) action at the end, but it could have been a better film without the gimmick.
