Traditional Christmas movies like to present the holidays as a time of peace. Even when the heroes face problems, they can be counted on to solve them by the end of the story and celebrate their Christmas peacefully. However, Christmas action movies take a different approach to the theme. They can still offer a strong holiday atmosphere, but at the same time, the stakes are even higher as the heroes fight for their lives more often than not.
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As such, Christmas action movies present a welcome alternative to viewers who like the holidays but are in the mood for something unusual. The best Christmas action movies have the power to entertain the audience regardless of whether they watch them during Christmas or not.
5Violent Night (2022)
It remains an open question whether the new action Christmas movieViolent Nightwill become such a classic as other movies belonging to this genre. However, its overall quality and positive reviews and ratings are promising for the movie’s reputation.David Harbour ofStranger Thingsfamesteals the movie as a cynical Santa who unexpectedly ends up defending a rich family against a bunch of criminals.
The movie takes a premise that could easily turn absurd and makes it into a fast-paced story with a dark sense of humor and beautifully choreographed action sequences which there are plenty of for the viewers to enjoy. The movie offers an untraditional portrayal of Santa and shows that even in the popular genre of Christmas action movies, there are still refreshing stories to be told.
4Batman Returns (1992)
Crime never sleeps in Gotham, not even during the Christmas holidays. As such,Michael Keaton’s Batmanhas his hands full, not just with the Penguin but also with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman who seems to have nine lives and crosses his path more than once. Superhero movies tend to be full of action, but the Christmas setting is rare in them.Batman Returnschanged this and incorporates the holidays into the story in an organic way.
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Of course, nothing is rosy in Gotham, but the city is made slightly more beautiful thanks to the Christmas trees and blinking lights and decorations.Batman Returnstakes the time to explore the twisted relationships between the characters and creates more than one action scene that will stick with the viewers for a while.
3Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Before he rose to a new level of stardom as Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. starred in the underappreciated Shane Black action comedy. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer create a strong duo that wouldn’t be out of place in some ofthe best buddy cop movies. And that’s despite the fact that one of them is a thief and the other one a private eye. The movie doesn’t have as strong a Christmas atmosphere as other movies, but it doesn’t matter in the slightest since the story keeps a fast pace, offers more than one surprising twist, and it can make the audience laugh.
The Christmas decorations in Los Angeles only add another layer of charm to the movie. Shane Black is no stranger to action movies, having written the screenplays for theLethal Weaponseries, to name just one, butKiss Kiss Bang Bangis the one movie his fans shouldn’t miss out on watching during Christmas.
2Home Alone (1990)
Most Christmas action movies orient primarily toward the adult audience.Home Aloneas well as its successorfrom 1992 is one of the few notable exceptions and serves as an excellent introduction to the genre for children. Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin, a smart boy who has to deal with two burglars after his family forgets him at home at Christmas. The movie offers a fair amount of action sequences that usually include Kevin dealing with his unwanted guests in a variety of (often brutal but also fun) ways.
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At the same time, the viewers realize that Kevin is still in real danger, which adds a sense of urgency to the story. The fact that the main hero is a child is then best reflected in the stronger Christmas atmosphere and the message about the importance of family and forgiveness.
1Die Hard (1988)
Die Harddoesn’t need a detailed introduction since it’s one of the classics and the most iconic non-Christmas holiday movies of all time.Bruce Willis stars as John McClane, a police officer who attends a Christmas party in a skyscraper and has to save the building and everyone in it from a group of terrorists, even though he’s underpowered and doesn’t even have shoes…at first.
The movie keeps throwing new challenges at John, and he tries to take them in stride but unlike the undefeatable movie supermen, John’s still just a man which makes it easy to cheer him on and wish him luck. That’s despite the fact that the late Alan Rickman plays Hans Gruber, the leader of the terrorists and one of the most charismatic movie villains of all time. The role of Gruber sent Rickman on the path to mainstream stardom. The movie spawned several sequels, but many fans agree the first film is also the best.
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