Fatman (Blu-ray + Digital)

Spoiler alert. I never had a favorite Christmas movie until Fatman. This movie feels like a mix between dark comedy, thriller, action, and western. Previous Christmas movies show us a world full of good people, who deserve gifts, or people, who are lost and need to find their moral compass or purpose in life. The reality is we live in a world with more evil than good. I think the writer or writers were very clever of working that social commentary into the movie through Chris’ dialogue without being preachy. Fatman responds to the reality of evil in the world we live in. That is why I love this movie and highly recommend it.In addition to the social commentary, there are little bits of the end that echoes the origins of the Santa Claus legend. The way Chris is injured at the end of the movie reflects the association between Santa Claus and Woden or Odin. After I read about Woden or Odin online, the ending made so much sense. The idea that Santa Claus could fight or become violent when he needs to made sense to me due to the symbolic reference to Woden or Odin.I did not think Mrs. Cringle needed to be Black. I am a Black American and I never thought Santa Claus needed to be Black. I understood that Santa Claus is a European legend and therefore, should remain consistent with the people, who created it. Yet, I really like how Ruth or Mrs. Cringle had an active role in the end. Again, previous Christmas movies used Mrs. Cringle as a stereotypical housewife, standing her husband’s shadow. In Fatman, I get a sense that Ruth or Mrs. Cringle is Chris’ equal partner in his gift-giving business. The way the movie ends shows me an equal partnership between husband and wife, a modern marriage for our time.They got to make Fatman into a trilogy! I want to buy this movie. Though, I wanted to rent it before I bought it. Now, I know I love it! I plan to make this movie a part of my collection. You don’t have to watch this movie for the Christmas season. I think the story’s theme is relevant all-year round, because people are evil all year-round and then, they to act on their best behaviors in front of an audience, on the Sabbath, in church or temple, and around the holidays. Most people in the world are evil. This movie is consistent with my values that evil people should face consequences.If the producers make Fatman into a trilogy, I want to see all of the surviving characters again. I know they will have to come up with a new plot. However, I want to know if the good girl’s morality worsened to the events of this movie and if the bad boy’s morality improves due to the events of this movie. I can’t wait to see another Fatman where Santa Claus kicks butt or fights evil or do something consistent with an action movie or thriller. Chris or Santa Claus is human in his behavior, ethics, flaws, and vices; yet, he is still super-human or supernatural. Also, I want to see Fatman turned into a trilogy, because I want to see if his gift-giving business improves. If you are a small business owner, I think this movie might be appealing to you as well. I want to see Chris’ business succeed and survive.In conclusion, I am rating this movie five out of five stars. Fatman is listed as an action, adventure, and comedy on Amazon. I liked the cinematography. The dialogue was great. I didn’t really like Ruth’s dialogue as much as Chris’. She is more like his better half. Ruth is positive to Chris’ negativity or disillusionment. Maybe, her character was not as well-developed as Chris, but I still want to see her if Fatman is turned into a trilogy. Or, maybe hopeful and inspiring messages have lost their effect on me to the point that Ruth’s character seems a little flat. Yet, I still liked her role as a defender and equal partner. The plot is surprising. This movie asks what if someone got angry enough to kill Santa Claus if he gave that kid a lump of coal. I have watched Christmas movies in the past and they all seem to follow a formula to make us feel good, hopeful, inspired, and naive. Fatman makes me feel good, because a bad person got what he deserved. Santa Claus could inspire and he could deliver justice. I want to see more Fatman movies, but the sequels got to be better than the first. Subsequent Fatman movies don’t have to about Christmas per se. What is Santa doing on Thanksgiving or in the summer around the Fourth of July? What is Santa’s business and employees doing throughout the year? I think this human-like Santa, who could fight, can be relevant all year-round. In the movie, Chris tells the military this is a one-time deal. Does that go for the Fatman movie as well? Is Fatman a one-time movie without sequels? I hope not. I like the character of this Santa Claus. I hope Mel Gibson and all the other actors for surviving characters agree to a trilogy if the writers produce a good script for a Fatman 2 and Fatman 3. If the writers and producers come up with a Fatman trilogy, I want those sequels to have a social message just like this one. Without a meaningful theme for the sequels, I don’t want to see a Fatman trilogy. This movie is special for its social commentary on the evil in this world. I don’t want to see just mindless violence without a purpose, a message, or a good theme. For me, Fatman is about the theme and the story, not the violence. The violence is only there to make me pay attention and listen to the dialogue and the theme.

Mel Gibson is an ass-kicking Santa. What did you want, Shakespeare?The premise is preposterous: a spoiled rich kid hires a hit-man to kill Santa because he left coal instead of a present for the rich kid.We first encounter Santa pinking at cans with a Colt 1911 semi-auto. So, "Miracle on 34th Street" is right out. Santa is dispirited because of all of the bad kids no longer believing in him. So he has to take a government contract to build missile guidance parts, so he can pay the bills.Walton Goggins pretty much steals the movie as the hit-man. Besides being a killer, he is an obsessed collector of all things made in Santa's Workshop.Probably the best part of the movie is the gun-battle between Santa and the hit-man! Not a great movie but worth a viewing due to being so off-beat. There is some blood, so this is definitely not a kid movie.

Its different but what do you expect from Mel Gibson. Its a rip off of a classic obese man. Hollywood just takes and takes. If I was to compare it to a movie its like pretty woman meets the little rascals with a hint of the terrorizer, not the sequel but just in general. I think the movie really comes together at the very end with the always important no animals were harmed in the making of this film. Don't sleep on the digital co producers credit name at the end that alone is totally worth your time.

The premise is as follows: a wealthy tyrant of a kid gets coal in his stocking. He's mad, and decides to put a hit on Santa.That premise is fanciful and absurd, right? So you would think a splash of humor, or wryness, or irony or sarcasm would leak through. A couple one liners? Nope. Everything is portrayed in a solemn, serious way.My biggest gripe? There is a LOT of time wasted on pointless scenes.In one scene, a military supervisor is eating with the elves in the mess hall. They are chowing down on some cakes and candies. The officer is concerned about their dietary deficiencies and suggests eating some protein and fat and vegetables. The lead elf says 'nah it's more efficient this way'. Cut back to officer looking concerned.There is not one joke in the scene. It's shot in muted tones, and the line delivery is straight, dead-on serious. It also serves no purpose to move the story forward.Another scene. The hit man is driving across Canada and Alaska to get to Santa's home base. It's shot like a road trip, with cuts between several different landscapes at different times of day. The radio plays. The hitman takes an exit. The hit man gets coffee. He buys a toy plane made in Santa's workshop from a random kid. He talks to a border guard about his 'hunting' plans, hands over papers, gives the agent a weird look and... drives across the border. Another shot of him driving. This all takes FOREVER, and does nothing to advance the plot. We already know he's on his way to the 'north pole'. You don't have to show us for 10-15 minutes.There is a scene with the hit man putting his sparring partner in an arm bar and breaking his arm. No context. No reason given. No motivation. Does nothing to advance the plot. It's just put in there to show the hit man is 'bad'. Gee, we know that already.When you cut out the extraneous scenes, there is about 45 minutes of a move left. It reminds me in many ways of "Only Lovers Left Alive". The movie had a cool premise about ancient vampires trying to make it in the modern world. However, almost nothing happens in the movie but really old hip vampires making hip statements about how they were there when Elvis was on Ed Sullivan or they knew Dizzy Gillespie or whatever. Or they imply they might kill themselves with a teakwood bullet but never do. They just mope around. A lot of wasted time.And that's what this movie is. A lot of wasted time. I loved seeing Mel Gibson back and doing fine work. The cast, though, was failed by bad writing.

BUT not as you think you have EVER known himit arrived this morning, and went straight onto the DVD player, and a thoroughly entertaining 90 mins ensued.not going to go to the ending, suffice to say, it worked for methe whole film just hints at this man, and his wife, and their workand it was all for the better that it didn't try to over explain anything, it just rolls along at its own pace, telling a story, and yes, I LOVED IT :o)

ok I'm sorry to say this is yet another pretty disappointing film of 2020. I'm going to say this is "ok" on the disappointing scale, it seems like it could've been so much more & yet failed..So from the clips, the film look & sounds like Mel Gibson is playing a version of Santa Claus we've never seen, potentially a hitman or retired etc, a hard man as we see him in a fight with guns, he talks very cold/bitter maybe angry just as in "Get Carter" & well "he is.... kinda" everything except a hitman/killer etche's 1st seen shooting some canned targets just for fun & the next occasion he's defending himself against the hired hitman who's set out to kill Mel Gibson aka Santa Claus!!So Yes Mel Gibson is playing Santa Claus who lives in a small town in Canada/Alaska (I cant remember which it was) he's in hard times & yes gets money as per a contract from the USA Government distributing toys etc for years he's noticed ppls attitudes changing for the worst "hence less toys being handed out" this also reflects a low pay for the previous year.. "what's Santa going to do"That's correct bring up a new contract with 'uncle Sam' & make advanced military equipment. Now I'll stop their for now just to add some detail. you see the reindeer for about 10 seconds, you don't see him handing gifts, you don't see a sled, only Mel collecting the book of good kids & going off to work & then returning after a long nights work etcWe then have a snot nosed lil boy who's a spoilt brat who cant take no as an answer or take any failure/rejection & yes he'll turn to the big guns when he feels the need, he lives with his old grandma his dad stays working/partying away, his mother you don't see/hear anything of.Xmas day comes along this brat heads down stairs to only find a Santa's delivered gift of a slice of coal "he's not a happy-choppy"So the Brat hires a hitman to hunt & kill Santa....... this guy 'the hitman' also got his issues with Santa from similar resulting gifts from his own childhood (their are some daft moments revolving around the hitman I'll not mention as it'll kill the film)its a short film,, but feels pretty long.. your mainly following the hitman as he's on the hunt to find Santa, some daft moments occur.. some slightly short/black humour for a glimpse of a second "as you might've guessed its not really a child friendly film!! that's for sure"The Fat-man isn't a comedy, its not a black comedy & its certainly not a action flic, its a film that's lost, we could've seen past issues/events surrounding Santa that brought on his removed/bitter feelings towards the job.. some good old dark humour.. light heartedness around the elves or some reindeer action would've worked wonders but we see none of it.. OR even actually finding the "Fat man as a old hired gun etc" again nothing.I'm left pretty disappointed with this film, I was half expecting a 'Grosse point blank' style of film or a angry Santa black comedy with a hired hitman chasing after the Santa Claus etcI can't honestly rate the film any higher, even x2 stars I feel is just x1 star too many. anyone saying it's 'hilariously funny' or 'action packed' they seriously haven't been watching this film........good Xmas filmsScroogedDie hard 1&2planes, trains & automobiles (USA's thanks giving, but it's close enough)The KrampusA Christmas Vacation "the Griswold's etc"I'm overall sorry to say this film is best avoided if you want any form of entertainment over the festive season, you've a huge selection of good willed film titles to pick from, you've the small list I've written above... this film they should've watched it 1st prior to releasing it, as theirs Sooo much more that could've been done/carried-out to make this a hell of a good film...

Or forget the nice gentleman dressed in red. Here we have a manager who manages the business of Christmas gifts under the aegis of the US government and when the business decreases they need to explore other markets, even military. There is a killer victim of childhood trauma and a rich young man cause of childhood trauma. They try to kill an elderly man happily married in a politically correct way, who in pure American spirit loves guns, drinks and sweets and is more reminiscent of an aged Thor than a nice old man. The result is an unusual movie, not as funny as the bastard version with Billy Bob Thornton, but pleasant, if you appreciate the black parody genre for savvy adults.

I cannot imagine what the target audience for this truly awful film is .If a psychotic child, an assassin and Santa adapt with booze, guns, shooting people, lots of blood and gore and ultimately Mrs. Christmas killing the bad guy by letting rip with both barrels at point blank range in her kitchen is for you, then go ahead.Truly dreadful Christmas viewing. Who on earth labelled it a comedy. An utterly regrettable purchase.

Ok...not quite what I was expecting. As the site fails to provide this info, - this DVD definitely comes with English HOH subtitles.