Samaritan (now available on Prime Video) speaks eloquently of his intentions. His protagonist is the perfect hero. Within the first ten minutes of the film, it becomes clear that the main interest of Braga F. Shute’s script is kindness. The one that stands on ideals or, in the case of the enigmatic Joe (Sylvester Stallone), in a reserved sense of duty. For the argument is that doing the right thing has more to do with conscience than with the hero’s almost irrational commitment.
which allows the idea is more innovative than it looks. Director Julius Avery deliberately moves away from all modern superhero films and starts something new. In any case, he tries very hard, and the result is, for the most part, solid and intelligent.
Particularly in the middle of a scenario that gravitates towards realism and shows a world in which people with exceptional abilities are part of the story. But not to the level of well-meaning celebrities, as in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Neither one nor the other, mocking the villains as it shows them boys or DC demigods. AT Samaritan, they are creatures of flesh and blood, with bugs and private battles. Which completely changes the tone of the film.
Real world, with real problems and in the middle of darkness
Movie recreating a cynical and pessimistic realityin which despair invades the future. The titular Samaritan is a superman turned legend who died – or so it is assumed – trying to stop his twin brother Nemesis from destroying their hometown of Granite. The hero and his exact copy had the same powers, abilities and insisted on their ideals.
But each fought in the opposite direction. There is even a certain political discourse in the reason why great men in power fight. What made the Samaritan keep order in the city? Was it his point of view on morality or just a defense of the established? What happened to Nemesis? To that line between rich and poor in such a scenario?
Samaritan he doesn’t offer easy answers, and that’s one of his biggest strengths. Much more, on your way to show what kind of superhero can a corrupt, pessimistic and dark world be. The director manages to raise big questions about the responsibility of the powerful in less than twenty minutes. Also about the tricks of moral reasoning to justify evil. Among such disparate and integral ideas, the production finds an intelligent story about silent deeds.
A city with scars to heal and a mystery to solve
Granite City is recovering from injuries. After being beaten by Gotham, she still remembers the last great battle between her ultimate protector and the villain she faced. But if such a fight is part of the classic images of superhero stories, Avery brings surprising sensitivity to context. This is not just a clash of two identical forces. In fact, the loss of the ideals that supported both is reported.
The city is suffering. Seeing the ruins, the streets turned into small fields of criminal confrontation and dirty aesthetics, a world imaginary Samaritan, is consistent. So much so that one can believe that once two men in metal suits were his main symbols of power. The death of both reinforces the belief that there is nothing to lose. Granite City is aware of this and tries to overcome it, but fails. The film insists on one thing: there was a time of splendor, and it is remembered with longing and fear.
Samaritan he makes it clear when Sam (Javon Walton) starts investigating. A teenager obsessed with the glory of the fallen, the only one who finds the tragic history of the city not entirely clear. At least it’s incomplete. What would happen if the superhero were alive?
After all, the long trail of his abusive brother Nemesis is still a part of street culture to this day. His memory has fans, admirers, and even the city’s criminal gangs imitate him. The leader of them all, Cyrus (Pilou Asbek), maintains a cult of sorts in the memory of the villain. Was it really evil incarnate? Soon, Sam discovers that truth—reality—has many layers..
The script does not try to justify why the young man is sure that the hero survived. But obviously it is a form of hope. Sam’s character has a curious reflection of Granite City: he is as fragile as he is strong. Part of a generation that grew up in the shadow of stories of people who fought like mythical gods. However, the truth is concrete. They were not gods or demons. They were men of superior strength, but not because they were less complex than the rest.
Great figures that hide in the shadows
Joe (Sylvester Stallone) plays more than just a mystery to be solved. An unexpected encounter with Sam turns him into a tormented benefactor. The nuances and intelligence with which the actor portrays a man with a harsh past behind him and disappointment in the future are surprising.
Moreover, he is not the only mysterious figure with water resistance and exceptional super strength in the cinema of the last ten years. Comparisons with Protected M. Night Shyamalan are inevitable. But if Bruce Willis emphasized the pain of an inexplicable mystery, Stallone creates a completely human character, full of nuance.
This powerful being who is also tired of surviving, Joe has a lot of Rocky Balboa. With his vulnerability hidden under the crude armor of a man trying to maintain his dignity, Stallone manages to move. Particularly when Sam discovers an obvious secret that sets him apart. In addition, the way the interpreter analyzes loneliness, isolation and, in the end, unforgivable debt, surprises with its delicacy.
Joe is not a blind hero. He is someone who knows what he has lost and what else he may face. In turn, it’s this messy and grueling path that makes Stallone’s character more believable. Still a victim of the battle of the titans he lost, he volunteers to cross the road. “Not all of us are heroes, almost none. But yes, we all know when to do good,” Joe tells Sam. He does it with firm conviction, resolutely, without too much fuss. For this titan of the street – or what was him – everything is obvious. You do what you must. How and when needed.
Samaritan: a good superhero movie is possible
In the third part of the film, a new confrontation is about to take place, and the city will act as a witness. Irrational, powerful, it’s not only the context, but the character itself. Then, Samaritan perhaps he has lost his good pulse of the concrete universe, which he showed in much of his argument. He also did something else: proved that the superhero genre can be updated.
Most of the superpowered figures in movies are associated with a vague and poorly explained purpose. They protect the innocent because they have the ability to do so. However, what if the sense of purpose was more humane? More mundane, much more connected with the intellectual and moral decisions of the hero, Samaritan make a risky decision.
Try Amazon Prime Video fully free for 30 days and enjoy the full platform catalog without limits. Just signing up you will have instant access to the best movies and series, as well as free shipping on amazon and other benefits.
His hero is part of the history of the street. This is a person who, with his spiritual and physical strength, must maintain the state of the city, divided by its history. It is this premise that allows the film to visit interesting places in the midst of a clean, simple, and honest narrative. The production is small in its ambitions, but huge in its prestige. That’s probably why it’s so deep, well thought out, and ultimately touching.
