David Weaver

(On Cable TV, September 2022) It would be easy to dismiss The Samaritan as just another thriller, especially if you tune out (as you may be tempted to do) after the conventional first act. Here’s an aging career criminal being released from prison and being tempted back into a crooked life as an alternative to a miserable life. There have been dozens of movies on that theme, and this one doesn’t look any different despite the Canadian setting. The casting of Samuel L. Jackson (aged 64 at the time of the film’s release) doesn’t help distinguish it as much as you’d think, considering that he brings the expectation of a different, lighter-hearted film. But as The Samaritan advances, it also darkens. On a plotting level, it reveals its intentions to go slightly beyond the usual heist thriller by inserting some neo-noir complications: an ill-fated flawed protagonist, oedipal relationship and a resolutely downbeat dramatic arc. What seemed like cheap plotting at first (such as a transgenerational romantic relationship sparked by the protagonist saving a young woman from harm) ends up leading to more troublesome material, and the hero being drawn deeper and deeper into paths he doesn’t want to follow. The Samaritan eventually negotiates itself into a slightly interesting distinction. Jackson doesn’t play the role that his persona would suggest, and I find Ruth Negga to be a compelling actress no matter the part: she doesn’t disappoint here either. I wouldn’t want to oversell the result—The Samaritan is a bit underwhelming in spots, a bit awkward in others, and rough in how it handles its climax. (If there’s any doubt that writer-director David Weaver meant the film as a neo-noir rather than a heist/con film, observe how it fumbles the final con.)  But it ends up being slightly more interesting than expected, and that counts for a lot.