Action maestro John Woo made a name for himself Internationally for his bombastic films with beating hearts.

He wowed audiences overseas with films like Hard Boiled and The Killer, and transitioned to North American audiences with Face/Off, Windtalkers, and he even helmed Mission Impossible II.

But with the failure of his Ben Affleck-starring Paycheck 20 years ago — a film widely considered one of the worst of the 2000s — Woo retreated back to the foreign-language films that made him famous. With endlessly watchable Silent Night, he’s back on North American screens with a vengeance.

A father faces unimaginable tragedy when his son is killed by a stray bullet during a gang shootout around Christmas. When he goes after those responsible, he’s shot in the throat and left for dead. Brian survived, but can no longer speak.

He bides his time, and the following holiday season, he seeks out revenge. The plot beats from Robert Archer Lynn’s script are nothing new — That I will concede. But this story is told through Brian’s eyes, with next-to-no dialogue, as our protagonist can nary make a peep due to his condition.

Now, when is the last time you’ve seen a true, blue revenge actioner with no cheesy one-liners? That alone, and the artistry involved to evoke emotion and move the story forward without using spoken word, is enough to merit a recommendation.

John Woo’s signature style, a rousing effort from star Joel Kinnaman, and the gleeful counter-programming for the Christmas season hit just right for me.

It won’t make any “best-of” lists this year, but man, was Silent Night ever a return to form for Woo, who obviously has a whole lot of shock and awe left in him.

3.5/5 Stars