Sylvester Stallone is available for release on the 26th edition of the film “The Samaritan”, on the primary role of superheroes, to be discovered exclusively on the Amazon Prime Video platform.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT ?
Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary suspects his mysterious and lonely neighbor son, Mr. Smith, is actually a legend lurking in the open. 25 years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, The Samaritan, was pronounced dead in a warehouse, after a tragic fight with his rival, Nemesis. Most people think The Samaritan perished in the flames, but some locals, like Sam, are hopeful he’s still alive. With the city on the brink of chaos and crimes on the rise, Sam makes it his mission to persuade his neighbor to come out of hiding and save the city from ruin.
The Samaritan by Julius Avery with Sylvester Stallone, Javon Walton and Pilou Asbæk. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
WHO IS IT WITH?
Also credited with me producing the film, Sylvester Stallone has the lead role in the film, as an aging, lonely man recognized by a young neighbor as the ancient superhero called the Samaritan.
The teenager is, meanwhile, interpreted by the young actor Javon Walton. Mainly known to the public for his appearances in the series Euphoria, the latter also appeared this year in the third season of Umbrella Academy.
Finally, the great villain of the film is embodied by the actor of anis Pilou Asbæk, revealed by the political series Borgen, and who has become one of the bad-guys in vogue in Hollywood since his performance as Euron Greyjoy in the last seasons of Game Of Thrones !
Balboa Productions
LAST ACTION SUPERHERO
Tired of an original script, not a comic book, The Samaritan marks the very first time Sylvester Stallone has played the role of a superhero. The interpreter of Rocky and Rambo, now 76 years old, was particularly invested in the project, because of the “Stallonian” nature of this atypical hero, an aging and lonely man haunted by past wounds.
Conceived as a superhero film anchored in a social reality, The Samaritan demystifies the aura of the vigilante, here shown as a man of admittedly Herculean strength, more filled with flaws that ultimately make him more human. In a way, The Samaritan is to superheroes what Last Action Hero was to 80s action heroes, without however reproducing the self-deprecating tone of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film.
With a budget that brings it closer to a direct-to-video than a Marvel-style blockbuster, The Samaritan works more for its characters and the development of its mythology, than for its rather cheap action scenes. The relationship between the main hero and the young boy works well, but we can only regret that the villain fits in quite badly with the plot.
Balboa Productions
Yet embodied by a Pilou Asbæk in a tailor-made role, the villain of the film seems to be sacrificed by the script. Thus, we do not really understand what made the latter to admire Nemesis rather than the Samaritan, and in a certain sense to take the opposite path from that of the young protagonist. “The better the villain, the better the movie” says Hitchcock, and unfortunately this observation cannot be applied to the Samaritan.
With a reasonable duration of 1h39, The Samaritan offers a satisfying spectacle for fans of Sylvester Stallone, plus also the regret that the feature film has not yet dug the darkness of its universe. At times, it almost feels like Stallone is back in the days of Judge Dredd and Demolition Man, some of his last hits before his career went into decline in the mid-’90s.
But as often with Stallone, the film offers a double level of reading between the plot and the personal life of the actor. As if the story of this superhero disappeared, no longer forgotten by his admirers, was finally his.
