Fatman

 

One of the oldest Hollywood toplcs to write about is that of Santa Claus, whether they be drama, comedy, satire or action, we've seen them all. Or have we? When you think you've seen them all, along comes "Fatman", replete with a rough and tumble Santa on tough times, a tenacious wife and resourceful elves.

To save his declining buslness, Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus, is forced into partnership with the U.S. military headed up by Captain Jacobs (Robert Bockstael). Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin, Jonathan (Walter Goggins), hired by a precocious, mean-spirited 12-year-old, Billy Wenan (Chance Hurstfield), after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. 'Tis the season for Fatman to get even, in the action-comedy that keeps on giving.

Others to round out the cast are Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Ruth, Chris' wife, Susanne Sutchy as Sandy, Eric Woolfe as Elf 7, Michael Dyson as Herman, Deborah Grover as Anne Marie, Ellison Butler as Christine and Ekaterina Baker as Helga.

This was grittily, yet humorously directed by Ian Nelms and Eshom Nelms ("Squirrel Trap" '04, "Night of the Dog" (segment--"Bob, Burt and Steve") '05, "Lost on Purpose" '13, "Waffle Street" '15, "Small Town Crime" '17) plus shorts. What makes this as humorous as it came across was the coolness that each character obtained while playing their respective roles.This was the mark of talented directing, since if they came across more over-the-top, the dry humor would've lacked. These brothers work well together which is no surprise they work together on all their projects. It was humorously and interestingly written by the Nelms brothers (same resume as above), as well. Think about it: Chris Cringle is on hard times; he's not making as many toys since so many kids are bad, so production of toys are down. Then a kid is so angry, he decides to hire a hit man to off him. This is a fresh and original way to approach a story that has been looking for a new take. Other than a couple of inconsistencies and a bit of choppiness, this story was funny, action-packed and kept your attention. Both Gibson and Goggins were very effective in their roles as well.

If seasonal films are your kind of movie, but are yearning to see something a bit different than you're used to seeing, this just might be the film for you. This was originally slated to be released on 12-4-20, but because of the pandemic, it was sold to DVD, which I purchased as to critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                            Rated: R                                             100mins.