Mel Gibson's latest attempt at a career comeback, the dark Christmas comedy 'Fatman', has been met with disappointment despite a promising trailer. The film, which casts Gibson as a grizzled, drunk Santa Claus, fails to live up to its intriguing premise, leaving critics and audiences underwhelmed.
The trailer, described as a masterpiece of mood, hinted at a gripping story of Santa defending himself against an assassin hired by a wealthy boy who received a lump of coal. However, the actual film is padded and lacks narrative drive, with the main characters only meeting in the final 15 minutes for a brief and anticlimactic fight.
Walton Goggins plays the assassin with his trademark intensity, but the film squanders the potential for a tense cat-and-mouse game. Instead, it becomes a slow, meandering journey that fails to capitalise on its clever casting of Gibson as a bitter, world-weary Santa.
While the film attempts to blend violence and satire, it ultimately feels more like a mass-produced holiday movie than the cult classic it aspired to be. 'Fatman' is released in the US on 13 November, with a UK date yet to be announced.
