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It’s Christmas movie season but not everyone wants peppermint sweetness and cozy small-town charm. Some of us want our holiday movies filled with explosions, heists and a whole lot of chaos.

This week on the Video Store Podcast, I’m spotlighting four Christmas movies that trade twinkling lights for trouble.

Reindeer Games (2000)

Reindeer Games is a crime thriller set days before Christmas. When Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) is released from prison his only goal is to get home for Christmas. But when his cell-mate dies, Rudy steps into the man’s shoes to meet his mysterious and beautiful pen pal, Ashley (Charlize Theron).

One bad decision later and Rudy is trapped in a violent casino-robbery plot run by Ashley’s unstable “brother,” Gabriel (Gary Sinise). With no options, Rudy is forced deeper into the operation and nothing is what it seems as alliances shift and lies are uncovered.

Reindeer Games brings crime, plot twists and holiday mayhem together in one memorable movie.

Batman Returns (1992)

Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is set against a dark, gothic backdrop of Gotham City during the Christmas season. Batman Returns introduces two iconic villains who become the city’s newest threats.

The first is Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin, a physically deformed man who was abandoned by his wealthy parents and raised in the city’s sewers by penguins. The second is Selina Kyle, Catwoman, pushed to her limit by evil businessman Max Shreck.

Michelle Pfeiffer is the definitive Catwoman, seductive, broken and electric in every frame. Danny DeVito’s Penguin is a grotesque and disfigured man, a departure from the comics. Christopher Walken adds a sinister element as the businessman Max Shreck.

Tim Burton’s vision partnered with Danny Elfman’s haunting score creates a mesmerizing Christmas classic set in Gotham City.

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) lives a quiet life as a schoolteacher until a car crash triggers memories of her past life as a deadly government assassin.

Samantha hires private detective Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson) to help her uncover her past and together they set out to find the truth. Their adventure is full of gunfights, treachery, and some of the best buddy-dynamic chemistry of the ’90s. Davis transforms from warm suburban mom to hard-boiled operative with shocking believability and Jackson delivers one of his funniest, most charismatic roles.

Written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin, The Long Kiss Goodnight mixes holiday atmosphere with espionage to create one of the 90’s most underrated action movies.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Lethal Weapon redefined the buddy-cop genre and set the standard for all future buddy-cop movies. Set at Christmastime in Los Angeles, the movie pairs veteran detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) with newcomer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson). Their investigation into a young woman’s suspicious death spirals into a violent clash with drug traffickers and the psychotic Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey).

Lethal Weapon is full of heart, which is what you want in a Christmas movie. Riggs who is spiraling out of control from grief and Murtaugh, a grounded family man, form a bond that is convincing from start to finish.

Also written by Shane Black, Hollywood’s king of Christmas action movies and directed by Richard Donner, Lethal Weapon blends holiday themes with explosive action, dark humor, and iconic one-liners. Lethal Weapon is on of my favorite Christmas action movies.

If you’re looking for Christmas movies that are filled with action, these four belong at the top of your December movie list.

Thanks for visiting the Video Store. Have a great New Year!

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