Fatman

Wenn die ersten Nachrichten über Fatman herauskamen, dachte ich, dass es ein ziemlich verrückter Ausflug sein könnte, aber die Schöpfer müssen sich vorher klar darüber werden, ob sie sich in Richtung einer bösartigen Familienkomödie oder eines unkonventionellen blutigen Thrillers bewegen wollen. Nichts dazwischen. Und nachdem ich es gesehen habe, muss ich sagen, dass es genau dort endete, wo ich befürchtet hatte. Manchmal ist dieser "Weihnachts-Western" ziemlich pessimistisch, nachdenklich und spart nicht an kalter Action und blutigem Töten. In anderen Momenten ist es wieder kindisch und voll von naiv-comichaftern Charakteren (die Bösewichte sind buchstäblich kleine reiche Mistkerle und ein Erwachsener, der in seiner traumatischen Kindheit steckengeblieben ist und eine Maus mit sich herumträgt). Das Drehbuch wirkt wirklich so, als hätten Kinder es für Robert Rodriguez geschrieben. Der Film ist ziemlich unterhaltsam und geht ziemlich schnell vorbei. Mel Gibson zieht als Actionheld auch in der unkonventionellen Rolle an und sein Badass Santa Claus ist cool, aber die unklare Stimmung und die ziemlich klare Geradlinigkeit der Handlung ohne Überraschungen und Wendungen untergräbt das Ganze. (23.11.2020)

Goggins plays a killer who’s after Mel Gibson’s Santa, and it’s not fun? Fatman has a premise that could be taken in a lot of different funny directions, but it flounders in a boring genre mix that lacks detachment and charisma. There isn’t a single good joke and the potential doesn’t go any further than the interesting idea. The only thing that saves it are the two cool actors (even though I think one of them doesn’t know whether he’s in a comedy or a drama). I demand right now a remake with Bruce Willis as Santa and Nic Cage as a crazy naughty boy. (21.11.2020)

An excellent idea, but they didn’t make the most of it. The premise, a spoiled kid who puts a hit on Santa for giving him coal in his stocking is all very well, but the result is feeble and the action is at best average. So the best bits are the pieces of bonus information that complete the overall picture. Santa making weapons for the army to be able to feed his elves, his disappointment at the aggressive kids and the fact that he has an Afro-American (or Afro-Canadian) wife. Gibson’s acting is convincing and the frustration his job gives him is infectious. Goggins’ assassin is a typical adult kid who is just interested in his pay packet. A great movie snack, nothing more, nothing less. (24.12.2020)

Mel Gibson as a badass Santa Claus who is being hunted by serial killer Walton Goggins. Genre-wise, I don't know where I'd put Fatman, the action is only at the end, there are few jokes for a comedy and it’s not suspenseful enough for a thriller, but it's still an interesting and fairly original film with a quirky idea. A spoilt brat from a rich family gets nothing but coal for Christmas and calls his "friend" to tell him that he wishes to murder Santa Claus, and he happily nods at the job, as he too was once abandoned by Santa. The best character in the film is definitely Walton Goggins, who plays the crazed killer absolutely flawlessly and professionally at the same time. He's smart, funny, uncompromising, consistent, and one of the best in his business, he makes the film very entertaining whenever he's on set, but it paces a little less without him. As a one-off with a pre-Christmas atmosphere Fatman serves just fine. Story***, Action***, Humor***, Violence**, Entertainment****, Music**, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Suspense**. 6/10. (20.11.2020)

An original idea, definitely, yet I watched Fatman with the fear that Mel Gibson would go the way of Nicolas Cage or Bruce Willis and that it wouldn't be rubbish. And it’s not rubbish! First of all, I'm happy that the Nelms brothers didn't write and film the story in the style of Rodriguez's Machete (although that would have been very easy), but went about it in a different way. And so, surprisingly, the multi-genre Fatman has a really interesting and impressive, but hard to describe atmosphere, and waiting for the mandatory action finale certainly didn't bore me. (16.12.2021)