The Big Picture

John Woo returns to the director’s chair with Silent Night, a holiday thriller that features tough fight sequences and a meaningful story. Woo, known for his stylized action and use of slow motion, takes on a new challenge with Silent Night, which is a dialogue-free film. The director explains his new approach to action sequences, focusing on realism and using long takes to make the audience feel more involved.

A legendary team-up for fans of the action genre, John Woo returns to the director’s chair with the producers of John Wick to helm Silent Night. Starring Joel Kinnaman as the film’s voiceless protagonist, this holiday thriller is a nearly two-hour feature with zero dialogue and tough fight sequences punctuated by a “meaningful story,” that captured the director’s attention after a six-year hiatus.

Prior to working with some of Hollywood’s greats in films like Face/Off and the Mission: Impossible franchise, Woo established himself as a pioneer of action with his eye for stylized fights, the use of slow motion, and other elements of the genre that have since influenced other great filmmakers. He honed his craft with the use of multiple cameras and nailed down his aesthetic, but with Silent Night, Woo returns with something different.

Speaking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, the director explains what it was about the script for Silent Night that first drew him to the project, why it was a new challenge for him as a filmmaker, and what he hopes audiences feel when they watch the movie. Woo breaks down his new approach to the action sequences, how it’s different from his previous films, and what it was like working with the stuntmen and Kinnaman. Watch the video above or read the full transcript below to also find out why we may not ever be getting 4K releases for films like A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, or Hard Boiled.

Silent Night A grieving father enacts his long-awaited revenge against a ruthless gang on Christmas Eve. Release Date December 1, 2023 Director John Woo Cast Joel Kinnaman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres Rating R Runtime 104 minutes Main Genre Action Writers Robert Archer Lynn

COLLIDER: Sir, in my opinion, you have done such iconic action scenes throughout your career. If someone has never seen a John Woo movie, what is the one you’d like them to start with and why?

WOO: Well, I would like them to start with one of my Hong Kong movies called A Better Tomorrow. That was my first auteur movie. I think it was the first time I really could do whatever I wanted. All the shooting with two guns and all the action, the slow motion all start from that movie. Then, after A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled, and Bullet in the Head. Also, they can watch Face/Off. That’s also one of my favorite movies. But at this time, Silent Night. [Laughs]

Which John Woo Films May Never Get the 4K Treatment?

[Laughs] Of course. As a fan of your work, a lot of people want to see your earlier films in 4K Ultra HD. Do you know if there are any plans for The Killer, Hard Boiled, or A Better Tomorrow to be in 4K?

WOO: No. I don’t think so because I don’t own the rights. The production company has sold everything to another company. I tried to do it, but I couldn’t because I don’t own it.

Well, I pray it happens at some point. You’ve done so many cool things in your career, but I don’t believe you’ve ever made a movie without dialogue. What was it like for you to helm something like this?

WOO: First of all, I really love the script. It really excites me. I always like to take a challenge. I’m a fighter. I like to always try to do something new, something unexpected. When I read the script, it also had a very heartful, meaningful story. Especially the whole story about the young little kids. The innocent kids that are being murdered by the gangsters, I think, are pretty close to real lives. In real life, it could happen to any family or anybody, so I feel strongly about the story. Then, in the meantime, there’s no dialogue. It allows me to use the visual and the sound more to tell the story. Then I make the audience understand the whole story, and you also can feel with the character, which is a good story for me.

Crafting a John Woo Action Sequence

You craft such great action sequences. How much are you figuring things out on set, how much are you doing it in advance before you step on set, and how much changes while you’re there?

WOO: In this movie, I did try to create a new kind of style for myself. I didn’t use what I usually do. Usually, in my kind of movie, the action looks pretty fancy and looks pretty graphic, and sometimes a little romantic. In this movie, I try to make it more realistic. All the fights I needed to look like a real fight, and actually, it is really a real fight. Then, before we prepare the movie, I walk with my stunt team. I just tell them, “All I need is a real fight. Forget about other action movies. Forget about the sci-fi thing; there is no sci-fi here. I want real. I want the real thing.” So, they took about two months practicing all the action scenes with the actor, with Joel, and then I just watched the tape they show me.

Then, while we are shooting, I would like to use one long take to shoot their fight to make it look more real and more honest. Every punch, every hit, they’re all real. So, instead of a similar action movie where they use a second camera or chop the cut, I didn’t use it. I wanted to let the audience feel more involved.

Silent Night is in theaters in the U.S. on December 1. You can purchase tickets here.