1 of 5 | Joe (Sylvester Stallone, R) doesn't want to be Sam's (Jevon "Wanna" Walton) hero. Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Samaritan, on Prime Video on Friday, is Sylvester Stallone's best superhero movie. His Judge Dredd was a bust, and he had a tangential role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But Samaritan takes Stallone's exploits to superheroic proportions.
Thirteen-year-old Sam (Jevon "Wanna" Walton) tells viewers how the hero, Samaritan, and his brother, Nemesis, killed each other in battle. But, Sam believes Samaritan actually survived, and he thinks his neighbor, Joe Smith (Stallone), is Samaritan.
At first, Sam's questions only force loner Joe to have to open up to a kid. When Sam witnesses Joe get hit by a speeding car, survive and jam his bones back into place, the secret is out.
This is a basic genre narrative, but it's a staple for good reason. The Joe and Sam relationship is sweet, with Joe becoming a reluctant father figure to a boy who needs a friend as much as another parent.
Gang leader Cyrus (Pilou Asbaek) wants to bring Nemesis back. He admires Nemesis because he says he resisted the corrupt establishment, while Samaritan only protected wealthy White people.
Samaritan definitely has something on its mind. It asks: If there were superheroes, would they be any better than police or would diverse poor people feel just as vulnerable to them?
Prime's series, The Boys, also deals with the malfeasance of superheroes, and it can go further in-depth than a 99-minute movie. In its brief runtime, Samaritan also shows that Joe would rather teach Sam to be his own hero than to do it for him.
The action finale is superb. Clearly working with a more moderate budget than Marvel, Samaritan saves its best action for last. There are short bursts until then.
Joe wears a poofy jacket for most of the movie, which allows stuntmen to perform moves that even Rocky Balboa couldn't, but Joe sheds the coat for the finale, so you get to see Stallone's face in combat.
As the villain, Asbaek gives the most charismatic performance in the film. Cyrus is allowed to let loose and hoot and holler as he riles up his ruffians.
Walton, fortunately, is not precocious and seems like a real kid, genuinely in awe of an adult, let alone a superhero. Stallone is emulating a familiar reluctant hero, but brings the sincerity and sensitivity that set his films apart from pure violence.
Samaritan could be a franchise in which Joe has more adventures and tackles more social issues. Even if he doesn't, Samaritan is good weekend streaming.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001 and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
