The Samaritan - Deadly Finale

Film: After spending 25 years in prison, Foley (Samuel L. Jackson) only wishes to spend the rest of his life in peace and quiet. Carrying the burden of his past on his shoulders even after serving his prison sentence, the once-genius con man is responsible for the death of his former partner. But no sooner is Foley free again than he is immediately sought out by Ethan (Luke Kirby), the son of his dead friend. He wants to get the aging crook to prove his skills one last time. At first, Foley refuses. While he still has a debt to pay, he wants nothing more to do with his criminal past. But Ethan has expected exactly this reaction and has already concocted a plan that will ultimately make it impossible for Foley to refuse Ethan's offer. A key role is played by the young Iris (Ruth Negga), who has a special fascination for Foley from their very first meeting. At that point, however, he has no idea that this has a good reason...

The Samaritan is a gritty thriller drama in which Samuel L. Jackson shines as a grifter badly battered by life. Director David Weaver has directed a suspenseful story that, at times, may be a little too strained for originality. But the plot twist that ultimately dominates the film is surprising and bold enough for a mainstream thriller to console over the somewhat stilted moments. And good supporting actors like Tom Wilkinson and Luke Kirby also enhance the film's overall positive impression.

However, Weaver very rarely succeeds in elevating the thriller above the level of a good TV production. The fact that the director has worked primarily for television in his previous career is also clearly evident in this work. The pictures as well as the dialogues seem to be forced into a common TV corset. Only the very drastic depiction of violence, especially towards the end, and certain aspects of the plot then lift the production out of the ordinary.

The Samaritan - Deadly Finale leaves the impression at the end that a much better film could have been made from the material. But the good actors and some intense scenes then make the work despite its weaknesses yet good and exciting entertainment offers, which lovers of gritty thriller dramas can safely take to mind.

Picture + Sound: The very clean picture of the DVD is mostly kept in rather dark tones. The image sharpness is on a good level, with the detail representation there are small recognizable weak points here and there in the many dark scenes. The sound picks up a bit towards the end, otherwise the sound remains rather subdued even in the DTS mix. But since this corresponds to the atmosphere of the film, there is on balance for picture and sound a decent: Good!

Extras: As a bonus, there is only the trailer and other program tips from the provider.

Conclusion: The Samaritan is a mixture of gloomy drama and suspenseful thriller, which with a very good Samuel L. Jackson and a surprising as well as provocative plot twist can make up for some small dramaturgical weaknesses and bumpy dialogue. Thus, despite the not quite polished production and the lack of extras, the technically well implemented DVD can be thoroughly recommended to all fans of gritty thriller dramas!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp