In a parallel present, an anonymous metropolis is on the verge of social collapse. Endemic inequities, poverty and unemployment fuel a deleterious, albeit legitimate, frustration: fertile ground for Cyrus, a mobster with megalomaniacal tendencies who intends to turn this mass dissatisfaction to his advantage. But that’s not counting the opposition of young Sam, who, with the help of Samaritan, a superhero that everyone thought was dead, will thwart the vile designs of this aspiring despot.
Long over, this not-so-great production was originally slated for theatrical release at the end of 2020, but the pandemic and the takeover of the MGM studio, the film’s distributor, delayed its release. So here it is Samaritan (The Samaritan) appears directly on the Prime platform. This is ultimately a good thing, in that Samaritan is deficient on all levels usually justifying that a work of this kind be seen on the big screen: magnitude of the staging, aesthetic choices, epic breath…
In fact, the film by Julius Avery, director of the much nicer Overlord, often resembles a series condensed into a medium-budget film. Predictable, the story populated by archetypes and situations seen a hundred times, and better, advances chugging along.
Fortunately, Javon Welton (Ashtray in the series Euphoria) is really good in the role of Sam, this kid convinced not only that Samaritan still lives, but that he is in this case his old misanthropic neighbor. This score is perfectly suited to Sylvester Stallone, who spent a good part of his venerable career resurrecting his emblematic characters Rocky and Rambo, who one could say have somehow become, through being mythologized, superheroes.
In short, Stallone, who also produced the film, slips into the role as if it were a second skin. The numerous fight scenes, on the other hand, lend themselves to an uncomfortable, but perhaps inevitable dichotomy. Thus, between the theory that Samaritan is (almost) invincible, and the practice revealing a star septuagenarian, however fit she may be, with movements showing her age, the magic takes over.
Alternately funny and tender, the interactions between Sam and Samaritan constitute, for the account, the best moments of the film.
Fluctuating tone
For the rest, we are entitled to a villain a bit boring (if we were supposed to see any Trumpian metaphor in it, we missed it). Pilou Asbaek (the series Borgen, Overlord) deploys treasures of conviction, but the score is what it is: a collection of one-dimensional clichés.
Another major problem, the film relies heavily on a big revelation of the eleventh hour. Unfortunately, the scenario, by dint of clumsy diversions upstream, spills the beans after about half an hour. So we find ourselves in the last act with a pseudo “highlight” whose dramatic inclinations involuntarily make you smile.
Moreover, between humor and drama, lightness and darkness, Samaritan plays on all keys without achieving an overall harmony. In short, it is a case of retirement which could have remained definitive.