The Samaritan

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2012

The ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson rarely turns down a role, but neither does he often play the lead. The noir-ish plot here is not new. A philosophical grifter winds up a 25-year prison term for a (justified) murder, takes up with a vulnerable young woman (an effective Ruth Negga) and vows to go straight. But of course that’s easier said than done, as a conniving sleazebag (a hateful Luke Kirby) has some truly shocking information (no spoilers here) he uses to coerce him into doing a con. So, yes, it’s a potboiler, but a nicely complex and compellingly watchable potboiler that Jackson fans will dig.