Director Tommy Wirkola’s “Violent Night” follows Santa Claus (David Harbour) after getting stuck at the home of the wealthy Lightstone family during a group of criminals’ heist to steal millions of dollars from the estate. Obstacles leave Santa with no choice but to kill the naughty while saving the nice.

Everything about jolly old “Violent Night” screams Christmas, from its premise of a “Die Hard”-esque Santa Claus, to a holiday-inspired soundtrack, to fun code names assumed by the bad guys, such as Scrooge (John Leguizamo) and Candy Cane (Mitra Suri). While the movie definitely should not be watched with the whole family, those mature enough to watch an R-rated movie will find themselves laughing, cringing and even crying at this fantastic, highly rewatchable, Christmas action movie.

Harbour continues to prove his success as a modern actor, adding Santa Claus to his list of stellar performances, such as Detective Jim Hopper in “Stranger Things” and Red Guardian in “Black Widow.” Harbour’s performance as the milk-loving, cookie-crunching Kris Kringle might mark his best, most memorable appearance yet. Harbour’s charm shines on full display like a star atop a tree. Everything from his biting one-liners to his cynicism about the capitalistic greed of modern Christmas will leave audiences cracking up. Harbour even brings a lot of heart to his performance alongside equally show-stealing actress Leah Brady as Trudy Lightstone, the little girl whom Santa makes it his mission to save.

“Violent Night,” as the name entails, includes action scene after action scene, all expertly choreographed and incredibly creative. The fight sequence in the beginning of the film, shown in the trailers, of Santa Claus neutralizing a villain using only a Christmas tree’s star made for a standout action sequence. However, the rest of the scene that plays out in the film feels much more brutal than the trailer, and the pattern of bloody good fun continues all the way through the end of the film.

“Violent Night” offers absurd Christmas fun best enjoyed with a bucket of popcorn and an ugly Christmas sweater. With hilarious jokes, excellent fight sequences and a show-stopping performance from David Harbour, “Violent Night” will find its way under all audiences’ Christmas trees for years to come.

3 ½ glasses of eggnog out of 5