Bullet Points: Fatman (2020)

Christmas is fast approaching and to get into the holiday spirit, why not check out Mel Gibson as Santa Claus in Fatman. Ho! Ho! Ho! Let’s spread some Christmas cheer loyal readers of Bulletproof Action. I am sure you all are on the nice list.

• The Plot: A spoiled kid (Chance Hurstfield) hires a Hitman (Walton Goggins) to kill Santa aka Mel Gibson. The kid is pissed because Santa left coal in his stocking. The Hitman also has a grudge against Santa. It dates back to the Hitman’s childhood. Fatman is written and directed by Eshom and Ian Nelms. It also stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Mrs. Claus. It is Rated R for holiday violence.

• Science Fair Shenanigans: We learn early on the spoiled kid aka Billy is a Little Shit. He is determined to win his School Science Fair, but he gets 2nd Place. This causes Little Billy to get so mad, he has his Hitman buddy kidnap the winner and force her to say she cheated, so he can get 1st Place. This Little Punk thinks he is Don Corleone. He even tries to talk like a gangster. I think you can see why he made Santa’s Naughty List.
• Santa Mel: Mel Gibson as Santa? Sure! It is 2020, so we can expect the unexpected. In all honesty, Mel is freaking awesome as Santa. He does not get too drunk. He treats his elves fair, and he is a loyal husband. Mel turns it down a notch, but he still delivers one of his more memorable performances in recent years. I thought Fatman was going to be Santa with a Shotgun. I was wrong. Most of the action occurs in the final act. However, that does not mean you should skip Fatman.

• Walton Goggins: Hot damn! Walton is one of my favorite actors, and you could tell he took his role as the lunatic Hitman quite seriously. I was waiting for him to bust out laughing, because it is quite ridiculous that a Hitman is trying to kill Santa. Walton stays serious until the end, and I hope he wins a lot of praise for his role. Walton Goggins is perfect casting for the Fatman’s Foe.
• The Government: Santa gets paid by the government based on how well kids behave. Well, kids are not acting nice. (Have you looked at Twitter lately?) To subsidize his income, he takes a government contract for the military to build parts for fighter jets. This is an excuse to have some jobbers around when the Hitman pays a visit.

• The Finale: Action fans, this is what you’ve waited for! The finale has a lot of blood and a high body count, but it was not as crazy as I thought it would be. However, the ending is very satisfying, and I think you will get a kick out of it.
• Overall Verdict: Fatman made me smile. I am now ready to put up my Christmas Tree and sing Christmas Carols. I am not ready to call Fatman an instant Christmas Classic, but it does earn an easy recommendation from me.

Bonus Bullet Points…

• Numbered Elves: The Elves names are numbers. I wonder who is 69?
• Judo: Walton Goggins’ Hitman ain’t no joke, and he could easily break your arm doing Judo on your ass.
• Reindeer: The Reindeer must have been busy, because I did not see any.
• Where and When To Watch: Look for Fatman on VOD on Tuesday November 24th.