SummaryAfter twenty‐five years in prison, Foley is finished with the grifter’s life. When he meets an elusive young woman named Iris, the possibility of a new start looks real. But his past is proving to be a stubborn companion: Ethan, the son of his former partner, has an ingenious plan and he wants Foley in. The harder Foley tries to escape his ... Read More
Directed By:David Weaver
Written By:Elan Mastai, David Weaver
The Samaritan
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
37
User score
Mixed or Average
4.3
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
13% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
53% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
33% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
May 16, 2012
75
The Samaritan isn't a great noir, but it's true to the tradition and gives Samuel L. Jackson one of his best recent roles.
May 17, 2012
55
Svelte enough in its reassembling of familiar elements to be, for a while, as comfortably pleasant as sipping on what once used to be your go-to drink - until The Samaritan takes a jarring turn right out of Park Chan-wook, and from there takes a tumble into ludicrousness from which it doesn't recover.
User score
Mixed or Average
25% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
38% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Aug 27, 2022
3
Sylvester Stallone plays a reclusive neighbor to a 13 year old (Javon "Wanna" Walton), but turns out he's also a "retired" vigilante superhero. As expected, a villain appears requiring the titular hero to emerge. Stallone's character is virtually indestructible and extra strong, so his encounters have him tossing people about. Other than the flying bodies, the action is not special. Then there's the relationship between the 2 main characters, which is supposed to add heart and drive this toward a family audience, but there's no warmth or connection. The wider appeal also explains why the violence is mild. Even though the pacing keeps moving, the writing and fighting offer nothing new or even mildly exciting.
May 17, 2012
50
An odd stylistic mash-up, the movie never quite coheres, in part because the characters are so thin that the style doesn't have much to cohere to.
May 16, 2012
42
It's difficult to describe The Samaritan, in which Samuel L. Jackson plays an ex-con trying to return to the straight and narrow after 25 years inside, without overlapping a dozen other movies in his nigh-endless filmography, nor watch any scene without thinking of how many times he's drawn from the same bag of tricks.
May 12, 2012
40
A clotted, knotted, twisty noir that is, unfortunately, short on the required atmosphere.
May 17, 2012
20
The most charitable approach to this unfortunate diversion in Jackson's career would be to pretend it never happened. Now, who wants to go see "The Avengers" again?
May 18, 2012
12
A would-be piece of pulp fiction about a parolee trying to go straight, The Samaritan proves that even Samuel L. Jackson can be boring.
Sep 14, 2014
3
Taking story lines straight out of other films and blending them together, The Samaritan is one strange and confusing film, that will really turn people off. While watching this film, one could easily identify elements straight from films such as Shaft, Payback, and Oldboy, making this film anything but original. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a con man, who has just been released from prison. He's been in there a long time and wants to go straight, but his partners son is determined to make sure that doesn't happen. Samuel L. Jackson is a legendary star that can carry any film he stars in. I love his personality and will watch anything he's in, I even sat through Black Snake Moan, but The Samaritan makes even less sense than that did. The story is just completely all over the place, jumping from one thing to another, without resolving any of the issues it presents. Often times films like that will come together in a terrific ending, but the end of the Samaritan just leaves more questions than answers. Jackson is of course very solid and shows his wide range or ability and emotion, but the rest of the cast is just awful. Independent films often times only feature one person of recognition, but when you're releasing a film like this one, which is heavily advertising that star, you've got to give them something to work with. I honestly feel like some of these people were just pulled off the street and asked if they wanted to be in a movie, their inexperience is that obvious. When you add to that a confusing story line, that is full of slang and innuendo, the result is something that is unwatchable. The biggest star in the world couldn't have made a film like this **** Samaritan is a rare instance where I wish I had listened to my fellow reviewers and just let this one pass me by.
Oct 10, 2019
0
I don’t watch a lot of movies! I’m no actor or expert! Although the wasted time of my life spent watching this made me sign up to review a movie for the first time at 45 years old! Luke Kirby is irrefutable proof anyone can become an actor! One of the worst movies and acting performances I’ve ever seen! Thanks for wasting my time today!!!!! You should give any money earned to charity you horrible c u next Tuesdays!
Production Company:
- H2O Motion Pictures
- 2262730 Ontario
- Eggplant Picture & Sound
- Middle Child Films Inc.
- Quickfire Films
Release Date:May 18, 2012
Duration:1 h 30 m
Rating:R
Tagline:You've got to know a secret to tell a secret.
Website:
Awards
Directors Guild of Canada
• 3 Nominations
ACTRA Awards
• 1 Nomination
