Sylvester Stallone plays a superhero who disappeared years ago in “The Samaritan”. A tailor-made role for the actor, in a film which unfortunately does not match his talent…
The Samaritan : Sylvester Stallone as an aging superhero
After appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Suicide SquadSylvester Stallone returns to the superhero genre with The Samaritan. In this feature film with an original story thought up by Bragi F. Schut (Escape Room), the actor embodies the title role. That ofan overpowered individual who would have died twenty years earlier during a clash with his twin brother Nemesis.
The young Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) is however convinced that the Samaritan is still alive. The teenager investigates in his city and lists the people who would be likely to be the vigilante. When Joe comes to his aid when he is attacked by members of a gang, Sam has no doubts.
At the same time, the criminal Cyrus (Pilou Asbæk) tries to seize the mace of Nemesis in order to obtain his powers, also hoping to trigger a popular revolt in the city. While he had done everything possible to lead an uneventful life, Joe must prepare for a new fight and above all to assume his old identity…
A sadly banal film
Sylvester Stallone is capable of the best and the worst and The Samaritan is somewhere in between, leering a little more on the side of the worst. Fans will find it hard not to get attached to his character, a lonely old man who drags his weary carcass around and likes to fix broken things. It is also difficult not to be moved by his relationship with the young Sam, played by Javon “Wanna” Walton, revelation ofEuphoria who gives his all and sometimes turns out to be touching. But around them, unfortunately, there is nothingness.
The opening credits make you want to see more about the confrontation in the fire between the Samaritan and Nemesis, revealed through flashbacks which only make you want to see the duel between John Spartan and Simon Phoenix in Demolition Manstupid but much more generous.
In addition to his particularly soft action scenes, The Samaritan sees its friendly concept being weighed down by extremely limited sets, a scenario that could not be more basic and a villain whose only motivation is the desire to succeed Nemesis. Freewheeling Pilou Asbæk delivers a ridiculous protest monologue, taking a big voice under his mask and daring to approach Tom Hardy’s impressive performance in The Dark Knight Rises, which unfortunately did not have the desired effect. Added to this is a predictable twist that reinforces the overall lack of surprise.
The superhero embodied by Sylvester Stallone should therefore not mark the spirits, the film by Julius Avery (Son of a Gun, Overlord) being of a distressing banality, dated production which could have been released twenty to thirty years earlier. The Samaritan is despite everything to discover on Prime Video.
