At this point, the ubiquity of superhero movies is a reductive subject to direct attention to. They have become so ingrained in the industry landscape that a sub-genre of superhero movies that aren't connected to Marvel or DC has become a cottage industry itself. Movies like Chronicle and Brightburn have attempted to add a new dimension to the basic concept of ordinary people with extraordinary abilities, to varying degrees of success. Conversely, The Boys has expertly shown the ways in which the genre can be pushed brilliantly to its breaking point in terms of the implied violence and hedonism that underscores the very idea of heroes. Sometimes, though, it's worth acknowledging the downside of the pervasiveness of superheroes in popular culture, if only to draw a distinction between what can make the genre great and what its pitfalls can be. Samaritan, directed by Julius Avery with a script from Bragi F. Schut, is an example of those pitfalls, failing to do much of anything to expand on the genre and presenting a story that will be all too familiar to its audience.

Samaritan follows Sam (Javon Walton), a young boy living in the perpetually rainy Granite City. Sam's mother Tiffany (Dasha Polanco) is trying to keep the family afloat, but Sam still finds himself pulling scams on local bodega owners and cavorting with wannabe criminals. Hanging over the city is the myth of Samaritan and Nemesis, two super-powered brothers who fought long ago. Samaritan saved the city, killing his brother in the process, and was then believed to be dead. When Sam meets Joe (Sylvester Stallone), though, he begins to believe that Samaritan is still alive and that he could save the city from a growing uprising spawned by the actions of a villainous man named Cyrus (Game of Thrones alum Pilou Asbæk).

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Pilou Asbæk and Sylvester Stallone in Samaritan

Samaritan eschews the typical origin story format, explaining the story of its titular hero and his doomed brother in an animated opening credits sequence. Since then, Granite City has seemingly fallen into disarray because of the disappearance of its hero. Trash on the sidewalks and the constant overcast are visual stand-ins for a gritty realism that the movie hopes will telegraph depth. This urban decay gives Cyrus the perfect opportunity to take advantage of Granite City's population, spurring them into riots and violence. This part of the story is never expanded upon in any meaningful way.

Cyrus — who rises to power after stealing Nemesis' weapon of choice (some sort of super-powered hammer, the origins of which are unclear) — is thought to be the supervillain by Granite City's citizens, and they follow him in a pseudo-populist uprising. Riots plague the city in the background of the film while Sam gets to know Joe, bringing the superhero out of Stallone's character. It's strange but not all that unsurprising to see villainy portrayed in this way, underscoring the lack of thought put into Samaritan's story and its themes. Asbæk does well enough in the role. His face is perfect for villainy, as evidenced by his turn in the aforementioned HBO drama series and other roles that have pigeonholed the versatile actor as the perfect foe. This, however, doesn't save the film from its paint-by-the-numbers plot that seems to lack any socio-political awareness.

Javon Walton and Sylvester Stallone in Samaritan
Javon Walton and Sylvester Stallone in Samaritan

Both Walton and Polanco do what they can in their roles. The young Walton shines as Sam, proving the talent already on display in Euphoria and the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy. Polanco, who has been criminally underused in almost every role since the end of her turn in Orange is the New Black, is another great asset who falls by the wayside due to the very nature of her character. Stallone, who is supposed to be the superhero at the center of the film, shirks around in a hoodie, not engaging in any heroics until more than an hour into the film. His heart doesn't seem to be in it, either, and a third-act twist involving his character doesn't do much to bolster what is ultimately an underdeveloped character.

Samaritan, which could have gone in any number of interesting directions, isn't brave enough to be as brutal or acerbic as The Boys, nor does it try to break the superhero mold like Marvel has attempted to do over the last two years with shows like WandaVision. Seeing a super-powered Stallone may be exciting to some, but the movie barely gives him enough time to show off his powers before the climax of the film, which falls into clichéd "save-the-day" heroics. It's also clear that Stallone's heart isn't really in it. In the end, Samaritan commits a cardinal sin of the superhero genre: It thinks a high-profile actor with vaguely defined superpowers is enough to make the film interesting when it clearly needs something more.

Samaritan is streaming on Prime Video as of Friday, August 26. The film is 99 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for strong violence and strong language.

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