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Sylvester Stallone Swings for the Superhero Genre with 'Samaritan'

By Nate Parker | Film | July 28, 2022 |

By Nate Parker | Film | July 28, 2022 |


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In a sense, Sly Stallone has played a superhero throughout his career. As one of the premier 1980s action stars, he’s dodged bullets, shrugged off life-threatening injuries, and performed superhuman feats of strength. He even (briefly) put on Judge Dredd’s helmet for that 1995 debacle. Apart from that and a brief appearance in GotG2, Sly’s stuck to the realm of the canny.

That changes with Prime’s Samaritan. Sly’s in the titular role as the world’s once-greatest hero, who vanished 25 years after a climactic battle. The world’s become worse since his disappearance, and young Sam (Javon Walton, Stan from Umbrella Academy and Grant from Euphoria) is desperate to find his role model. He finds an old trash-truck driver, who’s left the world’s problems behind after a devastating loss. Things get complicated from there.

It looks like a lot of fun. Stallone’s always been at his best when he’s played an amiable, reluctant warrior. It plays to his strengths. With any luck, Prime’s latest foray into the superhero genre is as successful as The Boys has been. It seems unlikely, but I live in hope. Samaritan arrives on Prime Video this August 26.