Woo said that he was frustrated by the lack of scripts that were interesting to him, saying that he had been pigeonholed into doing historical films in China, and big, commercial action films in Hollywood[1]
Woo said that in Hollywood, he was never sent any scripts for more personal, smaller-scale films because he became established as a big-budget action director[2][3]
Asking his agents for compelling scripts, Woo was intrigued by one that Thunder Road Films sent him containing no dialogue[4][5]
Using the script as a personal challenge to visually tell a story, Woo directed Silent Night (2023)[6]
Silent Night stars Joel Kinnaman as a grieving father who goes on a revenge mission after losing his son and his own voice to a gang shootout on Christmas Eve[7][8][9]
He described the movie as his "first independent film", as there was little studio interference with the project, to the point where it reminded him of his smaller-scale Hong Kong productions[10][11]
Woo intentionally changed his personal style for this film, incorporating more grounded, realistic fight choreography and not including common motifs like doves[8]
The film received mixed reviews
Glenn Kenny of The New York Times thought that the movie was "suspenseful and cathartic", saying that "even the schmaltzy stuff is so distinctly John Woo that it’s welcome."[12]
The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck enjoyed Woo's kinetic action sequences and "gorgeously fluid" visual transitions; he said "the film’s lack of dialogue proves not a gimmick but an asset."[13]
Richard Roeper said, "there’s something undeniably refreshing about Woo’s reliance on sound, movement and sometimes flashy camera moves to tell his very simple but effective revenge tale."[14]
