[D]irector/screenwriter Will Thorne throws in just enough curveballs to make this London-set crime thriller much less conventional than you'd assume.

There is a derivativeness about the script that means the big twist is exasperatingly easy to spot early on.

There's not much cheer, holiday or otherwise, in this formulaic British thriller that never gains much momentum as either a quick-witted comedy or a violent crime saga.

Silent Night is a humble, medium-stakes crime flick with a 51/49 character-to-plot ratio - the tipping point for a recommendation.