Returning to American features twenty years after his last US produced flick, ‘Paycheck’, the legendary John Woo is back in gun blazing bloodshed territory but this time a lot less heroic and a lot grimier and more downbeat.

The stripped-down narrative sees grieving father Godlock (Kinnaman) unable to move on from the death of his only son who is hit by a stray bullet from feuding gangs while playing in the garden. Godlock is himself left mute after being shot in the throat by one of the gang leaders after he gives chase. Recuperating, he trains his body to be stronger and his skills with guns and knives to be sharper so as to dish out revenge one year later to the date of the death of his son: December 24th. But at what cost does revenge come, as Godlock sends himself down a violent path he may never come back from.

While the setup is nothing we haven’t seen a million times before the flick is given a unique spin in that the whole thing is pretty much dialogue free. Kinnaman’s main character is rendered mute and thus we’re thrust into a world where, other than a few brief words, nobody speaks. It’s gimmicky for sure, and while it does buckle under its own uniqueness (Godlock’s wife and the police officer investigating the gangs that killed his son would have spoken, shouted, and even screamed at him at some point!), it does give ‘Silent Night’ a novel approach to the avenging father trope. Plot points are delivered via radio and news bulletins and the texts characters send one another, meaning the film exists in its own heightened reality. And thanks to Woo’s assured hand the film tells its story via crisply slick photography and clear-cut editing rather than umpteen characters monologuing. It’s a refreshing approach, even if it doesn’t always work.

Of course, the film also tells its story through action (this is a Woo flick after all) and while one has to wait to get to the good stuff, Woo certainly delivers come the second half. However, don’t expect the bullet ballets of say ‘Hard Boiled’ or ‘Hard Target’, this is more down and dirty and Woo is just as interested in vehicular mayhem as he is gunplay. Playing into the fact that the main character is not a fighter or supercop, his year training himself still leaves him unprepared for going up against the cartels. This gives the action a rough and ready approach as Kinnaman is pummelled and pulverised and gets through the various fights and shootouts via sheer rage-filled determination and luck. It might not be the type of action us John Woo fans expect but it’s still great stuff (including a great shotgun blasting ascent up a staircase in the bad guy’s lair!) and shows Woo still has a lot in the wheelhouse when it comes to action.

Also being a Woo movie, the melodrama is laid on a bit thick, almost too thick, here the doom and gloom of the film almost becoming too oppressive. This is Woo exploring the bond between father and son and what happens to the father when the son is ripped away from him, meaning supporting characters unfortunately get short shrift. The great Catalina Sandino Moreno gets little to do and is rarely allowed to grieve and it would have been good to see more between her and Kinnaman (and even her taking up arms to get vengeance!). Likewise, Scott Mescudi’s likeable cop is sidelined for too long before making a welcome comeback in the finale. But this is Kinnaman’s show, and while his character isn’t always easy to warm to, he carries the picture with vengeful charge and convinces as the homemade Punisher come the epic action finale.

Bogged down with a little too much cliché and oppressive doom, ‘Silent Night’ may not be what you’re expecting but it is Woo still flexing both his artistic and action muscles to deliver a ‘Death Wish’ style action flick.