Weekend Watch: Violent Night, Willow, Slow Horses Season 2

The fight before Christmas, an adventurous reunion and a second helping of the Slough House irregulars

Image Credit: Universal Pictures

Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, David Harbour is the world’s deadliest Santa, Warwick Davies returns as the heroic sorcerer and Gary Oldman leads his spy crew once more. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite

Santa Claus is the sort of figure that has been brought to life on screen in various forms. There’s the traditional jolly fellow, handing out gifts to good little children. There’s the horror version, more Krampus than Father Christmas, and occasionally depicted as a slash-happy killer. And there has even been the more mercenary type, as with 2020’s Fatman.

Violent Night falls squarely into that category, though with David Harbour as Santa, it also allows for some ramshackle charm in the mix. The setup for the movie is simple – think Die Hard (which is a Christmas movie, don’t forget) meets the spoof TV special that is part of the promo at the start of Scrooged, The Night The Reindeer Died. Plot-wise, we’re introduced to this Santa in less-than-jolly form, getting drunk to forget all the gifts he must hand out to ungrateful kids in one night. This is a jaded, cynical figure, who has been in the job for more than 1100 years, and before he wore the red suit, he specialized in spilling the red stuff as a Viking warrior.

Now, though, in an era of cash gifts, video games and ubiquitous Amazon deliveries, he’s not really feeling it. So when he shows up at the compound of the wealthy, (mostly) annoying Lightstone family, he’s more interested in snacking on cookies and sampling expensive booze than spreading Christmas cheer. Until, that is, thieves led by John Leguizamo’s Scrooge (his codename; all his accomplices have various festive titles) take the family hostage and look to gain access to the millions in their vault.

And this is where Santa comes into his own – thanks to an appeal from the good-hearted Trudy Lightstone (Leah Brady) – he decides to help the family and take down the thieves. You remember he used to be a Viking warrior, right? Turns out he’s an inventive, skilled fighter who can take a licking and keep on kicking – or stabbing people with candy canes. Or walloping them with stockings filled with pool balls. Or… You get the drift.

The stunt set pieces are the highlight, as Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola makes full use of producer David Leitch’s 87North team to create memorable combat sequences, and Harbour is a more than capable performer (though he lets the stunt players do the heavy lifting/smashing etc.)

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie never entirely lives up to that premise or the action’s promise. There are a few pleasures, such as Beverly D’Angelo – AKA Ellen Griswold from the National Lampoon movies – sending up her sweet character as someone more like Logan Roy from Succession. Brady has some sweet moments as Trudy, and some joy when she gets to try out Home Alone-style booby traps. But the saccharine stuff that most Christmas films eventually dish out never rings true here, nor do the villains (save Leguizamo, and he’s only interesting because of the actor’s work) ever really register as anything other than obstacles to be ticked off a (naughty) list.

It’s a shame because there is genuine amusement to be found here, provided you always hoped Santa could be a mix of John McClane and John Wick. Harbour keeps it together (just), but it’s ultimately like a Christmas tree itself – nice to look at, but soon forgotten once January comes around (or in this case, as you leave the cinema).

Violent Night is in UK and US cinemas now.

Image Credit: Disney+

Eventually, everything that sparks even the slightest hint of nostalgia, all the old movies, shows, songs or, let’s be honest, nursery rhymes that people of different generations grew up with will be mined as content for a possible reboot, remake or legacy sequel.

And nowhere is this more evident than on Disney+, which has access to any number of classic titles from which to spin something new. At least in the case of Willow, there was a solid foundation to build from and a charismatic lead performer still around to feature.

I’ll admit that I hadn’t seen Ron Howard’s 1988 fantasy adventure since it came out, at least not all the way through. I’d seen chunks on TV and clips on shows about its effects, such as the recent Light & Magic. So, before I embarked on the show, I watched the movie again and very much enjoyed its enthusiastic blend of high fantasy and winking humour.

The series, which moves the story on around 20 years, follows a similar pattern, though it proves to have less of a firm grip on its tone.

Following the defeat of the evil Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) in the movie, Willow’s world has seen a period of relative peace. But now, with dark threats looming again, a band of warriors, wizards and wanderers must unite to undertake a perilous quest to… honestly, it’s your basic fantasy mad libs. Insert chosen one figure, add big dangers, throw in some quips and you’re done.

Still, I did appreciate Willow’s ensemble, who draws more of a focus than Davis himself at times (he doesn’t even show up until episode 2). The likes of Ruby Cruz as headstrong princess Kit Tanthalos, Erin Kellyman as wannabe knight (and Kit’s would-be girlfriend) Jade Claymore, Tony Revolori as mopey prince Graydon Hastur and particularly Amar Chadha-Patel as boastful, funny warrior Thraxus Boorman all make for engaging company as you take this journey with them.

Davis is naturally great as Willow, though he is occasionally hidebound by the story’s need to have the world, some of the characters and magical concepts explained. When he’s allowed to be funny, that’s when Willow Ufgood comes truly alive.

And the show itself has a similar issue, unable to decide if it’s a straightforward fantasy or a funny take on the idea. It veers between traditional dialogue and kooky, pop-culture-aware lines, and whoever oversaw the needle drops either during the show or at the end credits, undercuts any sort of authenticity full stop. It’s almost embarrassing at times.

Yet Willow as a concept and the cast keep the show feeling fun and worthwhile, a welcome extension of the world rather than a chore to be sat through.

The first two episodes of Willow’s eight-episode season are on Disney+ now. I’ve seen seven.

Image Credit: Apple TV+

Two seasons of Slow Horses in one year? I’m feeling like the guests at the ambassador’s reception – Apple TV+ is spoiling us! After the first season adapted Mick Herron’s initial book about the banished spies of Slough House was so successful, I was thrilled to see the trailer for this second season pop up in the end credits.

Apple clearly thinks it’s on to a good thing, with Season 3 shot and Season 4 about to kick off filming. And it is right – this is a superior TV series about spies who very much chafe against their own superiors.

The real joy of Slow Horses – is that, unlike Willow, the actors, characters and scripts are all completely in sync. Gary Oldman is clearly having a blast playing sloppy lead spook Jackson Lamb, who oversees the seemingly washed-up and dead-end spies banished to a low-rent satellite office far away from the gleaning glass tower of MI5 HQ. But if you’ve read the books or watched the first season, you know that Lamb and co. are a damn sight more effective than anyone suspects.

Those of the old guard – Lamb, or Saskia Reeves’ Catherine Standish, have connections to the past they can exploit, while the younger officers, including River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), or tech specialist/outrageous git Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) can handle the action or tracking/hacking side of things (I was pleased to see Roddy get even more to do this year).

And in between, we have the likes of Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar) and Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns), who bring equilibrium to the team, with one foot in legacy and one in the now.

Carefully crafted by lead writer Will Smith and his team (smartly, the show has just one director per season, in this case, Jeremy Lovering), the show looks every inch the expensive production that Apple can afford, even down to the grease stains on Oldman’s shirt.

A drama that is shot through with dark humour, Slow Horses also makes sure that, as with Herron’s books, the stakes are treated seriously. Which is to say, don’t get attached…

This season’s big storyline digs into some familiar territory in terms of geopolitics but puts enough of a clever spin on it that it still feels fresh. Long may these Horses gallop. Well, canter… well, plod. But plod with purpose.

The first two episodes of Slow Horses Season 2 are on Apple TV+ now. The remaining four will arrive weekly on Fridays. I’ve seen them all.