Fatman takes place in a world where Santa Claus is widely known to be a real person, and he is a common figure in the small town that sits near the North Pole. The color scheme of the film is dull and grey, as are most of the sets (There is plenty of snow throughout though, the film definitely looks wintry). Santa's workshop isn't a magical place of wonder, but feels more stark and industrial. The film is lacking in magic (though there are reindeer and elves), and this feels odd and off-putting, but fits the world this film is set in. Fatman's 2020 is a world that has indeed lost most of it's magic and innocence, and Santa himself is struggling to hold onto his optimism and hope for the world. Mel Gibson perfectly captures this version of Santa, and makes us feel for him and his plight. You can still see a faint twinkle in his eye at times.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Mrs. Claus, and is great. She is the one who props Santa up throughout the film, and often gives him the pep talks he needs to get through the day. Walton Goggins is great fun as the hitman who is actually given a good backstory that explains his reasons for hating Santa as well as why he grew up to be such a nasty person (a nice added element is that he spends his spare time buying up the gifts Santa gave to others in what seems to be an attempt to make up for all the gifts he missed out on growing up). Despite being a total Grinch, Goggin's hitman does own a cute hamster that he loves and cares for. He also has the evil 12 year old as a contact under the name "Little Shit". This gives him just a tiny bit of humanity that makes him a bit more likable and sympathetic than he would otherwise be.
Chance Hurtsfield plays the evil Billy Wenan, and is very easy to hate. Despite winning the science project trophy at his school multiple years in a row, when he loses the most recent outing he doesn't hesitate to take extreme measures against the winner. He also isn't afraid to forge checks from his ailing grandmother (whom he lives with), and just acts like a general shit to all the maids working for his family. He almost comes across like a mini-Trump throughout, and you can't help but root for him to get his comeuppance (as to if he does though....).
Despite the plot promising us a bloody action thriller, most of Fatman is spent exploring Santa's life and following the hitman as he attempts to track down Santa. There's not a whole lot of forward momentum, and the action doesn't really kick in until the final 25-30 minutes (when it does kick in, it's satisfying and worth the wait. Mel Gibson, unsurprisingly, manages to make his Santa a bad-ass.). That said, I never once found myself bored or anxious during the runtime. The bleak and dour world created here is interesting enough and the characters that inhabit it are entertaining to spend time with. There is some silliness and humor throughout, but it's all approached with a straight-face, almost like the film isn't aware that it's silly or humorous. Surprisingly, this only made these parts work even better.
Fatman is written and directed by Eshom and Ian Nelms, and they do a pretty good job. They have made numerous other small/independent films, so this isn't their first outing. Fatman definitely has me interested to seek out their previous work as well as keeping an eye out for any future films from them.
In the end, Fatman is a film that has great acting, great and interesting characters, great world building, and a great plot....put simply, it's all great. My only real complaint is the way Santa finds his hope again is weak and not all that well explained. Despite that, Fatman is highly entertaining. It's a different kind of Christmas exploitation film, and it feels right at home in the year 2020.
4 STARS
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