Samaritan is a 2022 superhero thriller film directed by Julius Avery, produced by Sylvester Stallone, and written by Bragi F. Schut. Production was handled by MGM, Balboa Productions, and Amazon Studios. It was pitched as a spec script in 2014 and later published as a graphic novel by Mythos Comics.

The superhero Samaritan was the champion of justice for Granite City while his twin brother is the villain Nemesis. After an epic battle, they vanished, presumed dead. Years later, a young boy named Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) lives with his widowed mother Tiffany (Dascha Polanco). He is a fan of Samaritan and after running afoul of local thug Reza (Moisés Arias), they corner him and try to beat him, but he is saved by his neighbor Joe Smith (Sylvester Stallone) whom he begins to think is Samaritan. When Reza reports to his bosses Cyrus (Pilou Asbæk) and Sil (Sophia Tatum). Cyrus becomes obsessed with Nemesis and steals the villain’s hammer from a police holding and begins to cause riots throughout Granite City. Sam begs Joe to get involved, but the old man wonders if his time is up.

The movie is not perfect. There are a few scenes where the CGI looks like video game quality and I felt like the pacing was a bit off in certain spots. One other thing to note is a twist in the plot that I kind of saw coming early on.

That being said, this was one of the best superhero flicks I have seen in a while. It dived into dark territory without becoming overly depressing. It had some action that was compelling. Both the protagonist and the antagonist were interesting.

Stallone is definitely familiar with the territory of a grizzled loner who has seen too much. It is not a new role for him, but he definitely delivers on this experience. He was the standout in this film and I honestly cannot see someone else portraying this character.

Plot points definitely hit on modern points. A villain takes the identity of an older one, uses his name to raise a “movement,” and then causes chaos in their home city. Though they promise to “punch up,” they end up hurting the very people they are claiming to help. It was poised and made it seem more organic.

Bottom line, Samaritan is a solid superhero film and better than anything Marvel and DC has put out in recent days. It was enthralling and entertaining with some cool action scenes.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Brutal violence, Some foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: You keep saying I’m the good guy… I’m the bad guy!

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, read my reviews of Shattered and Prey. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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