‘Samaritan’ It is one of the many films whose release has been delayed countless times due to the coronavirus. Initially scheduled for November 20, 2020, this superhero film starring Sylvester Stallone It changed several times from premiere until its arrival on Amazon Prime Video was fixed for This Friday, August 26.
In fact, the initial plan is that we see it in theaters, but it seems that the purchase of MGM by Amazon has led to a change in strategy with the films of this study. Between so much change, the discreet promotional campaign and other matters, I was afraid that ‘Samaritan’ was going to be little more than a waste of time, but it has ended up being a pleasant surprise with a very different approach to superhero cinema than Marvel’s.
The basics of the film
One thing ‘Samaritan’ does quite well in its first few minutes is introduce a world still adjusting to the reality of living without superheroes when everything was marked not long ago by their rivalry with a powerful villain. Not that I delve too deeply into it, but that portrait of a society returning to normal marks the film, as does everything related to the importance of legacy.
And is that ‘Samaritan’ could be divided into three parts. The first introduces the universe that it proposes, the second explores the resistance of the character played by Stallone to use his powers again and the third the inevitable confrontation that always exists in this type of story. Another of the film’s achievements is that it manages to make the relationship between these three aspects flow naturally, something very commendable considering that it addresses both the childhood fascination with superheroes and an approach to the story that is closer to the cinema of urban vigilantes.
This is helped by the efficiency with which the script of Bragi F. Schut is handled in this territory, as there are many elements that could break the balance that ‘Samaritan’ boasts, from the moments in which it shamelessly bets on lightness to when it comes to increasing the intensity and putting all the meat on the grill . Everything is quite measured there, including an important detail of its final stretch that personally is what I like least about the entire function.
In fact, it is noted that ‘Samaritan’ seeks to be a film with heart, using the character played by the young man Javon Walton (‘Euphoria’) to give the film greater emotional impact. His arc may be quite obvious -and that leads to some scenes not having all the necessary force-, but the actor shares good chemistry with Stallone and avoids the repellent child archetype without giving up the good nature of Stallone. the.
However, the great asset of ‘Samaritan’ is to see Stallone become an atypical superhero who does not want to know anything about his past. Tender and close in the scenes he shares with Walton, but also forceful and deadly when he brings out his powers, their presence is essential for the film to be sustained at all times.
Other details of ‘Samaritan’
To all this we must add a technical finish that at all times it screams movie for theaters instead of content for platforms. It is true that perhaps a few million more budget would have been good, but it is that ‘Samaritan’ is not a film in which visual effects have such a presence, since violence, to a certain extent, seems an evolution of action cinema of the 80s in which Stallone himself shone so much.
That’s where the staging of julius avery (‘Overlord’) could have offered something more, because in many phases of footage there is a tendency more to rapid changes of shot than to work a little better on the choreography of the action sequences. Luckily, Avery raises the bar considerably in the final stretch, which really feels like a grand finale at this point and manages to get across the idea that Stallone can still deliver handsomely despite his already advanced age – he turned 76. this past July 6.
Otherwise, ‘Samaritan’ makes very appropriate use of Pilou Asbæk, the unforgettable Euron Greyjoy from ‘Game of Thrones’. In general terms, the threat of the film tends more towards accumulation for accumulation’s sake, but Asbæk embroiders the role of a hateful vermin but with a certain power of seduction over other characters and the viewer is looking forward to the moment when Stallone stops him. the feet.
In short
‘Samaritan’ is a good mix of superhero movies with urban vigilante movies passed through the filter of childhood fascination. On its own it may not be especially memorable on any of the fronts it tackles, but the combination works, thanking himself for not just trying to use the same mold as Marvel.
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