Silent Night

John Woo's latest is a rather modest affair, somewhat reminiscent of Ryuhei Kitamura's USA adventures (though sporting a slightly bigger budget). It's a simple genre flick, with few frills and some obvious limitations. Woo manages to rise above some of them, but the film is a little lacking as a whole.

Brian's son is killed when a stray bullet hits his boy in the chest. He runs after the gang members who fired the gun, but he gets shot in the throat and loses his voice. When he gets out of the hospital, he is a broken man. The only thing that gets him back on his feet is when he starts planning his revenge.

The melodrama's pretty kitsch and Kinnaman is a poor choice for a lead actor, especially since he can't speak and has to rely on body language alone. It takes a while before the film gets going, but once the action takes over, it's a decent action flick. The finale stands out, but it's still not up to par with Woo's best work.