Are you a fan of Jules Winnfield from Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction? Okay, now imagine if someone made a movie with the same type of character, played by the same actor and then you lock up that “Jules Winnfield” character for 25 years and then release him back into the wild. The Samaritan is a film that was made for Samuel L. Jackson to play as the leading man. I do not think that this is a trend in filmmaking anymore, where a studio makes a film specifically for an actor. Watch any Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal movie in the 1980s or any movie in the ’80s because studios made movies designed explicitly for individual movie stars.
This movie is so well done, that it seems like it was carefully crafted like a Hattori Hanzo sword for Samuel L. Jackson to star in.

The logline states:

“Just out of prison and vowing to go straight, con artist Foley Gets just what he doesn’t want: a can’t-lose opportunity to get back in the game.”

Now, doesn’t that sound like “Pulp Fiction 1.5” to you or what?

Samuel L. Jackson plays a philosophical ex-gangster who tries to go straight. His performance is phenomenal in this film because I genuinely believe that he revisits playing Jules Winnfield years after Pulp Fiction. It is so remarkable seeing him take that character to a whole other level, creating a new interpretation and reimagining what that character type will be like after 25 years from being removed from society.

This film borrows elements from movies like Oldboy, Shaft, Payback and Pulp Fiction that amounts to a twisty clotted and knotted neo-noir. Although the film may have been covering some old territory that neo-noir films tread into, Samuel L. Jackson keeps the film compelling and unpredictable. You can tell that director, Jason Weaver carefully crafts an introverted yet commanding performance from Samuel L. Jackson to bring mystique to the film from a familiar character.
If you miss the Samuel L. Jackson of the 1990s, before the superhero craze and Capital One commercials, then this is a film that you will surely enjoy. The Samaritan proves that Samuel L. Jackson can reinvent himself to connect with new and old audiences no matter what script is thrown at him. I am recommending this film purely based on an actor’s performance because I know that is the only hook that I need to throw out for you, the reader, to bite on and chew. Everything else in the movie is just the icing on the cake, ready for you to devour and enjoy.

Watch this film and leave a reply about why I am wrong when I say that Samuel L. Jackson is the greatest actor of all time who has never won an Oscar.

I would like to know your argument.

Seriously.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

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