'Silent Night' (2023) Movie Review

John Woo is arguably the greatest action director of all time. So, you better believe when the master drops a dialogue-free Christmas-themed revenge movie, I am all over that. Silent Night sees Woo working in what closely approximates a low-budget 1990s direct-to-video action aesthetic. It’s a little sparser and a little less slick than in his heyday, and at times it’s very clear he’s working with a smaller budget, but the Woo still shines through. Though the finished product has been divisive, and certainly doesn’t live up to the director’s career highs, this is a blast of fun, high-octane holiday retribution.

'Hard Target 2' Shoots This Fall With John Woo Producing, Don't Hold Your Breath For Jean-Claude Van Damme

With Jean-Claude Van Damme sporting that greasy, Jheri curl mullet, John Woo’s 1993 Hard Target, the Hong Kong action auteur’s first American film, is admittedly a wee bit cheesy. However, out of all of his subsequent films, it’s also the most similar to action classics like Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and the others he built his reputation on. And now it’s getting a sequel.