Samaritan (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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© 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by: Julius Avery
Written by: Bragi F. Schut
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Javon Walton, Pilou Asbæk, Dascha Polanco, Moises Arias
Runtime: 101 min
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, Granite City's super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
© 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Editor's Note: Original review was written for Firstshowing. Full article can be found below.
REVIEW SUMMARY
Samaritan holds quite an interesting premise, but sadly, it's yet another addition to the list of films with wasted potential. What could have been a truly dark, fascinating story about two superpowered brothers with distinct views on life is, instead, a bland, predictable, formulaic narrative with less Sylvester Stallone than expected. The cast offers good performances, but choosing to focus on Javon Walton's generic character when the prologue leaves room for such an engrossing exploration of the past proves to be a terrible decision. Action-wise, it lacks the energy and creativity necessary to entertain most viewers, despite the dedicated stunt work. A tad frustrating in retrospect.
