Silent Night trailer: Joel Kinnaman gets Christmas vengeance in John Woo action movie

Last Updated on October 12, 2023

The first trailer for Silent Night is here! Much anticipated by action fans, this is the first American movie released by acclaimed director John Woo in twenty years.

Silent Night stars Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad) as a man seeking revenge for the death of his young son, who was accidentally killed after being caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout. The film has an added twist as it’s almost entirely devoid of dialogue, which presented a major challenge for John Woo.

“It was a very smart script and the story really touched me [because] I have three children,” Woo told EW. “The biggest challenge is how do you make the audience accept a story without dialogue, and get them moved by the story, let them understand they’re not missing something.” The action-packed trailer for Silent Night reveals that Kinnaman’s character has been shot in the throat, leaving him mute but still very capable of getting vengeance on those who caused the death of his son.

John Woo added Joel Kinnaman did “99 percent” of his stunts in Silent Night. “He was also training with our fight coordinator every day, just rehearsing and training for all of the action sequences,” Woo said. “He tried [to give] a real performance but only with his eyes, his eyes have so many stories and so many emotions. I was so happy to work with him.“

“From legendary director John Woo and the producer of John Wick comes the gritty revenge tale of a tormented father (Joel Kinnaman) who witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang’s crossfire on Christmas Eve,” reads the official synopsis. “While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, Kinnaman makes vengeance his life’s mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen in order to avenge his son’s death. Full of Woo’s signature style, Silent Night redefines the action genre with visceral thrill-a-minute storytelling.“

John Woo directed Silent Night from a script by Robert Archer Lynn. In addition to Joel Kinnaman, the film also stars Scott Mescudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. The film will be released on December 1st.