Fatman
(Saban Films/Ingenious Media)
By Lucas Allen
Traditionally, movies about Santa Claus offer a happy and family-friendly approach to the mythical Christmas icon. But then there’s a small number of titles, like the controversial slasher film “Silent Night Deadly Night” and the Billy Bob Thornton comedy “Bad Santa,” that dare to portray the holidays in a darker light. Now we have the newest dark comedy, “Fatman,” also trying to do something different beyond Santa having a bad day. After this film, you’ll never think of St. Nick the same way again, especially when he’s packing heat.
The holiday season has not been kind to Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson) — his yearly business is facing low income because of the amount of kids being naughty. Despite the overall support of his wife, Ruth (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), the job has started to take a toll on him and his outlook on the world. Desperate for cash to stay afloat, he reluctantly agrees to have the U.S. government use his base of operations to develop technology for the military. Surprisingly, Cringle’s elves are happy enough to get some work done.
Meanwhile, a precarious and psychotic 12-year old boy named Billy (Chance Hurstfield) gets a lump of coal for Christmas and now he wants vengeance. He hires a hitman (Walton Goggins) to try to locate Santa somewhere up north and put a bullet to his head. The trained killer actually has a personal vendetta against St. Nick and uses the job to finally get even. After driving for miles while leaving a body count, the hitman finally finds the fat guy for a final showdown at the big man’s hideout.
With 2020 being a very ugly year, here comes a holiday movie to remind us that even the holidays are not safe from the horrors of reality. From beginning to end, every scene is like looking at a cloudy and rainy afternoon not knowing when the sun will ever come out to shine. But for those who think it’s too glum for their liking, the film mixes it up with off-the-wall humor that helps lighten the mood. Written and directed by Ian and Eshom Nelms, these filmmaking brothers carry a tight balance between dark comedy and holiday drama carefully and amicably.
Despite the advertisements to sell the idea of a gun-toting Santa Claus, there’s hardly any violence up until the climax where the bullets do start flying. Up until that point, the movie is a clever anti-Elf before it hit you with a different shift towards a modern spaghetti western. The final confrontation between Chris and the Skinny Man is worthy of Sergio Leone, with the snowy backdrop and quietly haunting music that’s surely effective. Also, the ending is surely a big payoff worth bookending the film.
Gibson is the perfect choice to bring a hard-nosed interpretation of Mr. Claus, who’s full of remorse and regret but with a little heart. Not only is the “Lethal Weapon” vet still proving himself, it will also have fans feeling nostalgic for his glory years in the action genre. Goggins gets to have some fun in the assassin role playing both cold-hearted and playfully funny. Jean-Baptiste also brings some heart into the Mrs. Claus role, while Hurstfield plays a real tyrant of a spoiled brat with a mean streak this side of “American Psycho.”
Only the most grown-up Christmas movie fans will find something to like about “Fatman,” as the most darkly-toned holiday comedy in existence. Love it or hate it, it’s worth watching for how timely and relevant about this season and this past year. On that note, hope you’re having a very merry Christmas and a hopeful New Year.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for bloody violence and language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
