Nobody deliberately sets out to make a cult classic, but sometimes you just hear about a movie and know that it’s going to become a word-of-mouth underground favorite, especially if it revolves around a specific season that allows fans to revisit it on an annual basis.
Eshom and Ian Nelms’ Fatman is definitely a case in point, even though it was only released last year. The premise of seeing Mel Gibson playing a disillusioned Santa Claus who finds himself so broke that he’s accepting government contracts is bizarre enough before you throw in a kid on the naughty list hiring a hitman to kill Saint Nick.
Walton Goggins is the assassin, bringing exactly the sort of wide-eyed and manic intensity you’d expect to the role. Few do grizzled badassery as well as Gibson, so it’s no shock that his sunken-eyed and disgruntled Santa is a million miles away from virtually every spin on the character we’ve ever seen.
With Christmas just ten days away, those seeking alternative festive fare have clearly been checking out Fatman in their droves, based on the Netflix most-watched list. As per FlixPatrol, the unexpected action thriller that takes Santa outside of his comfort zone has crashed straight onto the rankings, and we can expect it to soar even higher over the coming days.