Joel Kinnaman's John Wick Meets Die Hard Action Movie Is Streaming For Free

Published Nov 15, 2026, 9:16 AM EST

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

Joel Kinnaman has done his fair share of action movies, and one combining elements of John Wick and Die Hard is now streaming completely for free. The 2023 feature comes from one of the genre's greatest and most stylish directors, and gives the actor 104 minutes' worth of R-rated violence and vengeance.

Over the years, viewers have had the pleasure of watching some of Kinnaman's best movies show off his action chops. He's fought Ryan Reynolds in Safe House, took over Peter Weller's iconic role for a RoboCop reboot, and also became Rick Flag in multiple DC movies. Whether he's a hero or a villain, the actor brings grit, intensity, and physicality to his roles to make them work.

This has put Kinnaman in some very high-profile action movies throughout his career. However, some slip under the radar and don't receive the level of attention that they deserve. That is accurate for a recent action thriller of his.

In 2023, Kinnaman took on the lead role in a revenge-driven action movie called Silent Night. The film, directed by Hard Target and Mission: Impossible II's John Woo, mixes some of the best action films of all time together to deliver a new, but familiar, story. And as of today, Sunday, November 15, Silent Night is free to stream on Tubi, with ads but no subscription.

Joel Kinnaman Is Out For Revenge In 2023's Action Thriller Silent Night

Kinnaman takes on the lead role in Silent Night of Brian Godlock. He's a normal guy living in Texas with his wife and son whose life takes a tragic turn. His son is killed accidentally in a drive-by shooting, leaving him and his wife absolutely devastated. Rather than grieve the loss and try to heal emotionally and physically, Brian becomes consumed by a need for revenge.

What transpires from there is full years' worth of training so that the following year, Brian can go out and kill the gang members responsible for his son's death. When that day comes, Kinnaman's character is unleashed across his Texas town with the necessary skills and some information on who to target. The result is a lot of violence and bloodshed as Brian attempts to avenge his boy.

The movie rests largely on Kinnaman's shoulders, and he and Woo prove to be a strong pairing for entertaining action. The story itself keeps things rather simple, making Brian's revenge the focus without any unnecessarily complicated plot developments or twists. That may sound a lot like John Wick, but the similarities go a step further.

Silent Night Is Another Low-Dialogue Action Movie Like John Wick

A key element of Kinnaman's performance is that it is entirely dialogue-free. Keanu Reeves' assassin is a man of few words in each John Wick movie, but that is a personal choice. Brian doesn't get to say anything because he is physically unable to do so for most of the movie.

After his son is shot, Brian immediately goes after the gangsters responsible. However, he is shot in the throat by the gang leader to stop his pursuit. The injury causes permanent damage to his vocal cords, making it impossible for Brian to speak from that point on. Kinnaman's character has no lines before the injury, either, but the rest of the film does feature dialogue.

The silent action hero archetype is nothing new, with Sisu and Alan Ritchson's Motor City as other recent examples, and Silent Night is Kinnaman's chance to do his version. The effectiveness of the decision may vary from person to person, but it certainly evokes more John Wick comparisons. Considering how chatty Bruce Willis' John McClane can be, it's a different element that draws out Die Hard vibes.

Silent Night Joins Die Hard As A Christmas-Themed Action Movie

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If it wasn't evident based on the movie's holiday song-inspired title, Silent Night is directly tied to Christmas. The accident that kills Brian's son happens on Christmas Eve, and he waits until the following night before Christmas to get his revenge. This brings about plenty of holiday-specific elements, ranging from Christmas cards to decorations to one of the gangsters even wearing a Santa Claus robe.

Die Hard is hardly the only Christmas-themed action movie to be made (Lethal Weapon, Batman Returns, Iron Man 3, and Violent Night are other examples), but it's the most iconic. Brian might not leave any cheeky Christmas-themed notes, as John does by writing, "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho," but the holiday setting and action genre quickly bring Die Hard to mind.

After all, Woo has taken inspiration from Willis and John McTiernan's action classic before. His 1992 masterpiece Hard Boiled ultimately turns into Die Hard in a Japanese hospital. After not using the Christmas setting there, this could be his latest homage to the 1988 film.

Why Silent Night Didn't Become A John Wick Or Die Hard-Esque Franchise Starter For Joel Kinnaman

With the solid action Silent Night holds and Kinnaman's strong, silent performance, the movie very easily could have been the start of his own John Wick-like franchise. The movie doesn't prevent additional stories where Brian has to take down bad guys from being told afterward. However, Silent Night didn't perform well enough to give Kinnaman and Woo the opportunity to even think about a sequel.

Silent Night's reviews were mixed, giving the movie a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it lacked the critical acclaim that John Wick or Die Hard had at the start of their multi-film runs. Plenty of franchises have overcome mixed reviews, though, due to strong box office performance. That was not much of a factor to consider for Silent Night, as it only made $11 million in theaters.

Three years later, there have been no discussions about a Silent Night sequel happening. The only chance it has for that to even be considered is if the movie finds new life on streaming. Silent Night becoming available on streaming for free via Tubi could boost its odds, even though it would most likely mean shifting this story from the big screen to an exclusive streaming release.

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  Brian Godlock

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  Kid Cudi

  Detective Dennis Vassel

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  Harold Torres

  Playa

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  Catalina Sandino Moreno

  Saya