Tag: The Killing

Spoiler-Free Review of “Silent Night” (2023) in Theaters: A Revenge Thriller that Has its Moments

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“Kill them all…”

Silent Night released in theaters on December 1st 2023. The revenge thriller-action film (directed by John Woo) stars Joel Kinnaman, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-four minutes.

On Christmas Eve, a man witnesses the tragic death of his son when a stray bullet from a local street gang takes everything from him. After recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he vows to take revenge on those responsible the following year.

Here is the trailer:

Silent Night features a strong lead performer accompanied by lots of blood-soaked action, but is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Lionsgate

Joel Kinnaman gives it his all.

Without being able to talk, I was pleasantly surprised by how well he commanded the screen. I loved him in The Killing and was super excited to see him in this. His acting was on point and I honestly felt his pain and grief throughout the film. This is no easy task when you can’t express yourself verbally and yet he managed to really make me feel something, which says a lot.

Images courtesy of Lionsgate

Brutal and flashy violence.

If that’s what you came to see, it will deliver on that…but it takes a while to get there. That being said, I thought a lot of the fight scenes were well done and John Woo fans will have something to be excited about.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Lionsgate

A revenge thriller I’ve seen before…

Sure, you can wrap a bow on it with a “no talking” gimmick, but the film doesn’t really stray far from your standard revenge thriller. I actually think the “no talking” aspect hindered it in a lot of ways and made this an exhausting watch at times.

It also took way too long to get to the heart of the film. Yes, the moments leading up to it added to the emotional motivation, but I felt like we were crossing off calendar dates for hours and I couldn’t take some of the silent stare downs much longer.

Luckily we got to plenty of satisfying action, but I wouldn’t say that this was anything that new or extraordinary…but it was still enjoyable enough for action fans. You just have to sit through a lot of boring fluff to get there.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Lionsgate

I’m in about 75 percent…

Silent Night delivers in the action category, but its slow burn approach and insistence on staying true to its gimmick loses a little holiday magic.

Perhaps I set my expectations too high because I thought the trailer was brilliant, but this wasn’t the revenge action film I was really hoping for.

I hope you enjoyed the review and please feel free to share your thoughts on Silent Night in the comments section!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, HER NIGHT FROM HELL HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN…

After working the night shift, Ashley becomes entangled in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a local street gang, forcing her to come up with a plan to survive the night by turning the tables on them.

Ashley must fight for her life and take them out one by one if she wants to make it to morning…

My young adult revenge thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Make it Through the Night is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “The Chestnut Man” on Netflix: Twisted and Engrossing Mystery

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“I was assigned to a rather special case…”

The Chestnut Man released on Netflix on September 29th 2021 with six episodes available to stream now. The Danish crime drama series stars Danica Curcic, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Iben Dorner and David Dencik. Each episode runs for approximately 52-55 minutes.

A figurine made out of chestnuts is found at a gruesome crime scene as two detectives quickly discover that it may be linked with a past case.

Here is the trailer:

The Chestnut Man is brought to us from the same original creator of The Killing, luring us in with another dark and gripping mystery. Does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Channels the vibe of The Killing.

Much like The Killing, this mystery is dark and unsettling, but it also draws you in completely. I thought the mystery was a good one (really disturbing at times) and I was completely invested during my watch. The pacing also worked extremely well. There were only six episodes which worked in the show’s favor.

Sometimes these types of shows can get lost along the way, but I thought that each episode did plenty to keep us coming back for more.

Images courtesy of Netflix

A new partnership to be excited about.

I really loved these two together on screen. I thought that the dynamic worked well and each character had enough individual layers to make you truly care about what happened to them. This show could have easily gotten lost in the mystery and it still took the time to explore these characters and their partnership.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Netflix

A lot of moving pieces at times.

I don’t think this is really a con, but you need to pay attention to this show or you might miss something. There are a lot of sub-plots going on but I didn’t think they were too overwhelming. However, some were slightly unnecessary.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in!

I’m so glad that I found this series because it really was such a compelling and dark mystery. I needed to be in the right mindset to watch it, but it was a powerful show with really fantastic story-telling and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

If you enjoyed The Killing, you will feel right at home with this series.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Chestnut Man in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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