Samaritan (2022)
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A young boy suspects his neighbor is actually a legendary superhero who was thought to have died years ago.
The story
Twenty-five years after the legendary superhero Samaritan and the villainous Nemesis were believed killed in a city power plant explosion, thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary struggles to help his mother with their financial crisis. After being threatened with eviction, Sam takes a job with a local gang. When the gang's activities turn violent, Sam is saved by his neighbor, Joe Smith, a garbage collector who displays incredible super-strength. Sam begins to suspect that Joe is actually the long-lost Samaritan. Meanwhile, a new villain emerges, seeking to cause chaos throughout the city using a powerful sledgehammer.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Superhumans Samaritan and Nemesis were antagonistic twin brothers in Granite City whose parents died in a fire. Samaritan became a hero while Nemesis became a villain. During a battle at a power plant, both were presumed dead in an explosion. Twenty-five years later, Sam Cleary, a boy struggling with his family's poverty, joins a gang to help his mother. After a botched plan, Sam is saved by his neighbor Joe Smith, who shows super-strength. Sam suspects Joe is Samaritan. Simultaneously, a man named Cyrus finds Nemesis' hammer and assumes the villain's mantle. Joe eventually reveals he needs ice to cool his body and builds a friendship with Sam. When Cyrus kidnaps Sam and his mother to lure Joe out, Joe rescues them and faces Cyrus. During the fight, Joe reveals that Samaritan actually died in the fire and he is actually Nemesis, who abandoned his villainy. Joe destroys the hammer and kills Cyrus, then leaves, telling Sam to make the right decisions.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Julius Avery
- Writers
- Bragi F. Schut · writer
- Cast and characters
- Sylvester Stallone · Joe Smith; Javon "Wanna" Walton · Sam Cleary; Pilou Asbæk; Dascha Polanco; Moisés Arias
- Genres
- action drama; science fiction action; superhero
- Themes
- Good vs. Evil; Identity; Responsibility
- Tone and mood
- gritty; dark
- Setting
- Granite City, contemporary period
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; origin story; secret identity
- Source material / true-story basis
- series of graphic novels
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for theatrical release in 2020 and 2021 before being released via streaming in 2022.; The production went on hiatus in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.; The film was shot in Atlanta.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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