Legendary director John Woo has announced his first film in 4 years, “Silent Night” starring Joel Kinnaman. Woo has only directed a handful of western films. He took the helm of 2000’s “Mission Impossible 2” and of course 1997’s “Face / Off.”
Kinnaman most recently starred in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” as Colonel Rick Flag. Kinnaman continues to star in Apple TV+s “For All Mankind” which was renewed for a third season. You can read our interview with him here. He also stared in Netflix’s “Altered Carbon.”
Language barriers shouldn’t be an issue for the film as apparently the “loud action tale” will not have a word of dialogue. While technically this would be Woo’s first “English-language feature film in 18 years, we don’t know if a film without dialogue counts as language? Reportedly, the plot will revolve around a father heading into the underworld to avenge his young son’s death.
The film also includes “John Wick” producers Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christian Mercuri and Lori Tilkin.
Looking for something to hold you over until “Silent Night” comes to fruition? Might we recommend the Woo epic “Red Cliff” and “Red Cliff II.” The two part opus is loosely based on “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and stars Tony Leung. It comes in at a whopping 288 minutes total. We suggest staying away from “Battle of Red Cliff” which is the abridged version.
If you’re looking for something a bit shorter we’d recommend “Hard Boiled” with Chow Yun-fat and Leung again. It’s a classic police caper. Or take a gander at another John Woo / Chow Yun-fat collaboration, “Once a Thief” about orphans adopted by crime bosses.
While some of Woo’s filmography may be met with mixed reception, there’s no questioning he’s a master of action. We’re expecting at least 3 – 4 slow motion shots, long takes, and are crossing our fingers for some classic Woo doves.
We’re hoping “Silent Night” goes into production soon.
