The Samaritan

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The Samaritan

R

2012

1h 33m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After many years in prison, a former grifter (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to go straight, but the son (Luke Kirby) of his former partner insists on learning the game and relieving a feared gangster (Tom Wilkinson) of $8 million.

Critics Consensus

The Samaritan is a ludicrous neo-noir starring a seemingly bored Samuel L. Jackson.

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Diego Semerene

Slant Magazine

05/19/2012

1/4

It packs its narrative with a succession of increasingly clichd twists, one of which involves the sudden recognition that its main character, Foley (Samuel L. Jackson), is romantically involved with his own daughter.

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

05/18/2012

2/5

[Jackson's] doleful revenant is in almost every scene, and this hardworking actor seems to know that the film around him should be a light-footed caper instead of a grim noir with a side order of deviance.

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

05/18/2012

2/4

A scripted clich: the ex-con who wants to go straight until the plot kicks in.

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Amie Simon

Three Imaginary Girls

03/04/2019

The movie then had a bunch of interesting directions it could have gone, but unfortunately it relies on a few lame resolutions, followed by an unsatisfying and ridiculous ending.

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Amon Warmann

CineVue

01/08/2019

3/5

The strong performances of the cast do well to elevate The Samaritan, but there's not much more to take away from this mildly entertaining crime thriller.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

07/26/2013

2.5/4

The Samaritan benefits substantially from the inclusion of a shocking turn in the narrative at around the halfway point...

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Georgan G

@RT98616417 05/10/2024

3.24 stars. A solid crime thriller with a big twist. Samuel L. Jackson plays a con who wants to go straight but runs in to complicated issues that "force" him to do one last con.

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Emilliano S

@emill_santos 02/13/2023

Predictable. I got the 'staight to dvd film vibe' from reading the synopsis alone

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown 03/14/2022

Samuel Jackson is a former grifter that's roped back into the scene. For me, it all went dumb dumpster when he finds out that he's romantically involved with his daughter. Gross. Bye.

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03/09/2022

I like Ruth Negga, I like Sam Jackson, problem is I also like Park-Chan-Wook and this movie stole too much from oldboy for me to rate it any higher than a poor ripoff of a classic movie.

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05/19/2018

The acting was weak and made the characters less believable.

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dude m

@Dudenez 03/09/2018

jackson's character finds out he's humped his own daughter. case closed.

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David Weaver

Director

Samuel L. Jackson

Foley

Luke Kirby

Ethan

Ruth Negga

Iris

Tom Wilkinson

Xavier

Deborah Kara Unger

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Synopsis

After many years in prison, a former grifter (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to go straight, but the son (Luke Kirby) of his former partner insists on learning the game and relieving a feared gangster (Tom Wilkinson) of $8 million.

Director: David Weaver
Producer: Andras Hamori, Suzanne Cheriton, David Weaver, Elan Mastai, Tony Wosk
Screenwriter: David Weaver, Elan Mastai
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: H2O Motion Pictures, Eggplant Picture & Sound
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Some Sexuality|Strong Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 18, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7K
Runtime: 1h 33m