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Joel Kinnaman — star of films likeRobocop(2014),Suicide Squadand its similarly titled semi-sequel,The Suicide Squad —leaps headfirst back into the action-genre with a holiday-film unlike anything you’ve seen (or heard) before. The new film — from iconic action director John Woo — tells the story of a father hell-bent on revenge and determined to bring those responsible for the death of his son to justice. It’s a tale as old as time, but one that you’ve never experienced quite like this.Silent Nightis — as the title implies — nearly entirely void of dialogue.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Joel Kinnaman about the new film, discussing everything from the grueling physical toll of the stunt-work to the popularity of using Christmas as a backdrop for cinematic violence. In his words, sometimes people just want to see explosions at Christmas time, and I can’t disagree with that.
You can watch that video-interview in its entirety here:Joel Kinnaman Talks ‘Silent Night.’
Listen to ‘The Movie Divide’ Spoiler-Free Review Episode here:Silent Night Spoiler-Free Review
I’ll begin by saying that Joel Kinnaman was a joy to speak with. He was friendly and inviting, and even gave a shout-out to my wife, ending the interview with, “Tell Megan I said ‘What’s up?'” I’m not ashamed to admit that my wife was more excited than I was when she learned about the scheduled interview.
Silent Night —which follows Godlock (Kinnaman), a man left mute following the attack that killed his son — is a grittier and messier actioner than fans have come to expect from John Woo. Kinnaman elaborated that the reasoning behind this messiness was to highlight the inexperience of its protagonist.
“Godlock is not an expert of anything. He’s just a regular guy that, you know, gets consumed with revenge.”
Veering away from the perfectly choreographed, balletic nature of Woo’s earlier films was an intentional creative-choice. In comparison to the excess of films likeMission Impossible 2andHard Boiled,Silent Nightis arguably executed on a smaller scale. It’s grounded in realism and crafted from the grit and grime associated with street-level crime.
“We wanted to make it ugly and dirty.” – Joel Kinnaman
In order to successfully and believably achieve the realism necessary for the story, Kinnaman tackled many of his own stunts, training with stunt-performers on how to properly fall and react in combat. It was the most physically-demanding role of the actor’s long career. When asked how he liked to unwind after such a grueling day of filming, the actor replied that he likes to “Keep life light.”
Silent Nightreleases to theaters on Friday, December 1st, just intime for the Christmas holiday. Tune in toThe Movie Dividepodcast to hear me and my co-host ,Tim, discuss the new film, and read my full written review here:Silent Night Review: Woo’s Best Movie Since Hard Boiled.
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Joshua Ryan
Lead Film & TV Critics Editor
Articles Published :322
Born and raised in Central Florida, Joshua Ryan has harbored a love for cinema since the earliest years of his childhood. Through endless hours of watching Turner Classic Movies, especially the works of Alfred Hitchcock, his passion for film and film criticism grew. As an adult, he channeled that passion into a career as the editor and lead critic of FandomWire’s film and television department.
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