The premise behind Samaritan is a good one, and despite his penchant for wooden acting Stallone is a good choice for the role. But this film just never pulls it off. I liked how they kept the concept simple, sticking to the idea and not trying to over complicate things. But the film perhaps goes too simple. The film plods along and feels predictable, and never quite explores any themes beyond the most basic in its premise. So in the end it feels forgettable.
There really is no getting over Stallone's "acting" style which is clunky and awkward. As a "former" action star his role as a "former" hero is dream casting but he never sells the role enough to let me buy into it. On the other hand young star Javon Walton shows a great deal of promise as the idealizing young fan and Pilou Asbæk has great fun camping it up as the villain. But Stallone is the centre of this and he always felt like an actor playing the character, never the character. He's not terrible. He's just Stallone and you either embrace his performance or you don't. For me he didn't work.
But it isn't all on Stallone's shoulders. The film feels paint by numbers and runs through its rote plot fairly standardly. When we get to the climax and the film's "twist" we expected it. We all saw it coming. To be honest the twist makes it a better movie. I just wish I hadn't been waiting for it the whole time.
And that sums up what's "wrong" with Samaritan. It's not bad. It is just so damn expected.
Samaritan
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Javon Walton, Pilou Asbæk, Dascha Polanco
Director: Julius Avery
Writer: Bragi F. Schut
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