Would you like a silent action film with little to no dialogue, or would you like the return of action-giant John Woo to the stage of American action cinema? And hey, how about both? Because that’s what you’ll get in Lionsgate’s “Silent Night,” a nonstop, action-packed thrill ride starring Joel Kinnaman (“The Killing,” “RoboCop,” “Suicide Squad”), with Catalina Sandino Moreno (“Barbarians,” “The Affair”), and Grammy award-winning musician and actor Scott Mescudi (aka “Kid Cudi”)
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“It was a very smart script, and the story really touched me [because] I have three children,” Woo, whose legendary action bonafides include 1989’s “The Killer” and 1997’s “Face/Off,” told Entertainment Weekly this week. “The biggest challenge is how do you make the audience accept a story without dialogue, and get them moved by the story, let them understand they’re not missing something.”
This revolutionary piece of filmmaking—which is largely told in silence—comes from Woo and the producer of “John Wick,” a franchise that understands action too. Here’s the official synopsis:
“When [Kid Cudi] came on the set, he said, ‘All I want to do is John Woo action,'” the director recalled to EW. “[I said] ‘What is John Woo action?’ ‘It’s firing with two guns.’ So I gave him two guns.” Nuff said, it’s that kinda movie.
The gritty revenge tale follows a tormented father (Kinnaman) who 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. Full of Woo’s signature style, Silent Night redefines the action genre with visceral, thrill-a-minute storytelling.
With virtually no dialogue throughout the entire film (hence the film’s title, coupled with a Christmas Eve setting), SILENT NIGHT is, in a sense, a modern-day silent film – mixing elements of A Quiet Place meets Peppermint meets Drive – into one insanely unexpected, immersive experience. Woo, the master of action, showcases Kinnaman’s intensely emotional acting chops and deftly balances a gripping core family story, before diving into a whirlwind of guns-a-blazing fight scenes and Fast and Furious-style car chases.
“Silent Night” will open in theaters on December 1, just in time for the holidays. Watch the new trailer below.