Movie Review: Samaritan

credit: Samaritan

Considering all the movies that Sylvester Stallone has been a part of and has directed, produced, and had anything to do with, it’s important to remember that the guy is talented and has managed to create a severe following among his fans. With that being said, it’s bound to happen that he’s going to create something that’s less than appealing now and then. To be fair, Samaritan isn’t that bad of a movie if you stop thinking for a while since there isn’t much serious thought needed for this feature. But for those who like their movies to have levels upon levels that can be explored later, this one might not make the cut. The cast was comforting since it wasn’t too filled with top-tier talent, but it didn’t feature a lot of unknowns that people hadn’t seen before. In truth, it didn’t even feel as though Stallone was the star of this movie until later on in the story. 

credit: Samaritan

There were typical elements that could be seen. 

The young boy that’s bullied and has a hard life, a single mother, and an idol that he looks up to is a familiar tale, as is the crime boss that has a decent goal of uniting the neighborhood and the city but does so through very dubious means. In other words, this story is quite like one that has been seen in many different ways. The grizzled old individual who wants to be left alone but hides a secret is another trope that has been repeated. However, it’s usually still suitable for another story since it means that no matter how bad things get, there’s hope in a dark time and within an area that might need such an individual. Of course, it takes a young boy with an unshakable amount of faith to make the ‘hero’ see that hiding away isn’t a good idea and that helping people is a much better idea. 

As is expected, the super-powered individual resists. 

This is pretty typical of these types of movies since the super-powered individual went into hiding in the first place because he wanted to atone, to forget the life he’d led, or just to disappear, or all three. While Sam, the young boy, believes that Joe, his neighbor and person of interest, is the hero formerly known as Samaritan, Joe wants nothing to do with the legend and does his best to remain low-key and out of the way. This doesn’t work when Sam keeps pressing the issue and when Sam involves himself with Edwin, the local crime boss, who was actually more convincing as Euron Greyjoy in Game of Thrones than he is as a street hood. One might have thought that he would end up being the main character’s enemy/brother, Nemesis, but there’s an interesting twist that keeps things alive. 

credit: Samaritan

The twist that comes along is kind of interesting, but it’s another trope that people have seen. 

For the entire movie, it does feel as though Stallone’s character is waiting for the right moment to come back and be the hero that people remember. The twist, however, is that the legendary fight between Samaritan and his brother, Nemesis, did, in fact, go down close to the same way that people say it did. But the fact is that Stallone’s character was not Samaritan, as he reveals in the final fight with Edwin. Instead, he is Nemesis, the villain who was said to have died so long ago. Allowing people to believe what they wanted, he grew old, assumed a different persona, and then let things take their natural course. From that point on, he became someone else and allowed people to think that he was little more than an aging garbage man that collected junk and fixed it up. The eccentricity that this would be seen as would likely allow many people to overlook him and think that he’s little more than another human being in a city filled with them. Again, it’s another trope we’ve seen, but it works. 

As a superhero movie, it’s not horrible.

Stallone has played the hero’s part so many times that one should assume that he should be able to nail this type of movie. Maybe it’s the fact that superhero movies are getting a little overplayed, or maybe it’s something else, but Samaritan has a few high points and a lot of middle-of-the-road action that doesn’t wow a lot of people. At the very least, it’s easy to watch and does provide a bit of fun. But overall, Stallone might need to think about upping the ante if he makes another action movie. 

Or maybe Stallone needs to think about directing more and acting less.