The Sylvester Stallone action film Samaritan has been released. It is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Samaritan Review: Sylvester Stallone action film feels dated and out of place
When Sylvester Stallone headlines a film you know what to expect. Even after decades of being around and throwing those punches, the actor’s sheer presence evokes interest in a project because he’s part of the storyline. Unfortunately, in Samaritan, the feeling is quite the opposite. Stuck in the 90’s and treated like one of those dated action films, this Julius Avery directorial effort feels like an out of place relic in today’s age.
The plot of Samaritan is quite interesting though. We are introduced to a world of superheroes – Samaritan vs Nemsis, through an animated fight sequences. The Samaritan who stands up for everything good and right has apparently fallen. But a kid in the next door neighbourhood believes that he’s still alive. Dressed in a hoodie and working a regular day job, the kid is convinced that Samaritan is his, the guy who collects trash. The entire film now revolves around the discovery of Samaritan and how he emerges from the shadows to fight the evil that grips the city.
On the positive side, Stallone, despite his age, still has that screen presence and charisma. In a world obsessed with big ticket VFX action scenes, the raw hand-to-hand combat shots of Samaritan feel refreshingly new. The fight scenes are shot in the city and the entire track of discovering Samaritan from his shadows is quite entertaining..
However, this isn’t a lot to save the film from falling into the traps of becoming a cliche-ridden action film. The production values and overall aesthetics are dull and it looks like the movie was strictly made for streaming. There is also a failed attempt to cash in on Stallone’s Rocky Balboa franchise, which doesn’t do much to salvage the film from it’s lazy writing.
Samaritan is strictly for Stallone fans who will watch anything from this action superstar, irrespective of the premise and setting.
