Look, as the guy who runs the Reel Action film series, Sylvester Stallone holds a special place in my heart. And I’ve been happy to see him stay relevant in the action genre, but also to get his due in the realm of superheroes as part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Suicide Squad. But Sly needs something all to himself, and that’s where Samaritan comes in, offering a unique superhero story that gives the legendary actor another moment in the sun.
Stallone plays Mr. Smith, a seemingly ordinary man who is actually long thought-dead superhero hiding in plain sight for the last 25 years. But with crime on the rise, and at the urging of a young kid, Samaritan returns to help save his city from inevitable ruin.
Also in the cast are Javon “Wanna” Walton, Pilou Asbæk, Martin Starr, Dascha Polanco, and Moises Arias. The screenplay is by Bragi F. Schut, who wrote it prior to adapting it into a series of graphic novels.
Behind the camera is the impressive filmmaker Julius Avery, who really knocked it out of the park with 2018’s Overlord. There’s a lot of reason to be excited about this one. I love this as a vehicle for Stallone, playing off his decades as one of the greatest action heroes ever, but also the older, experienced version of him we’ve seen in the Creed films.
Samaritan hits Amazon Prime Video on August 26th.
Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone), is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty-five years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
