Though prolific action director John Woo has maintained a steady hand behind the camera for decades now, it’s been 20 years since he helmed an American production; the last standing as the largely-forgotten Ben Affleck sci-fi leaning Paycheck.
Returning stateside with a mentality that feels far removed from the oft-outlandish, budget-aplenty genre films he was known for throughout the mid-90s and early 2000s – we’re looking at you Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II – Silent Night is a more simply concepted actioner that narratively breaks little rules, but banks audience interest on the gimmick of zero dialogue.
Though it’s title can easily be linked to its Christmas setting, it’s very much a literal description of Woo’s brisk, brutal outing. It gets away with employing its silence in the opening sequence though, with the film’s hero, Brian Godlock (Joel Kinnaman), being shot in the neck and therefore exorcising his ability to speak. Godlock’s inability to talk is one thing, but Woo furthers this with all surrounding characters staying mute; the only talking heard is primarily through radio reports, some of which serves as cheeky exposition to lay out Robert Archer Lynn‘s script.
As much as this gimmick threatens to wear thin – ultimately there’s no real reason that Brian’s suffering wife, Saya (Catalina Sandino Moreno), would remain as close-mouthed as she does – it does enhance the emotional core of the film. Silent Night may indeed be a tale of revenge – the film’s second half embraces the action sensibilities of Woo’s prowess – but it’s also one of grief, and Saya’s silence speaks volumes of a mother who’s not only processing the loss of her son, but witnessing the decline of her husband’s humanity as he dedicates himself to physically altering his strength in order to hunt those down responsible for his son’s death.
Whilst the film doesn’t necessarily give us many villains to truly hate – by no means am I suggesting we don’t hate these characters, but they’re all largely random, save for a gangster named Playa (Harold Torres) – there’s perhaps a deliberate choice in that, with Woo commenting on the fact that the action of gang violence itself is more responsible than one individual person. Regardless, it makes way for plenty of well choreographed, slick action, though there’s also a certain scrappiness adhered to in honour of Brian’s own initial inability to hold himself in a fight. He’s an amateur – as he should be – but his eventual muscle building and training makes for a fine montage, and it helps us further understand the violent desperation Brian embodies as he signs his own death notice.
Though some may view Silent Night as an odd choice for an action auteur like Woo to announce his American comeback – for the Woo initiated, there’s little slow-motion and an absence of white doves on hand – his embrace of a different style has to be looked at with welcome eyes. There’s still a freshness bubbling within his creative veins, and whilst some may not entirely appreciate its lack of dialogue, it results in an emotionally-charged outing that hones its own brutal uniqueness.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Silent Night is screening in Australian theatres from December 7th, 2023.
