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.

| Mar 4, 2019

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.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 8, 2019

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

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 26, 2013

What could have been an intriguing character study about redemption turns into an absurd series of eye-rolling plot twists that makes it impossible to take this mess seriously.

| May 28, 2012

Director David Weaver and co-writer Elan Mastai's neo-noir script is just a shadow of the genre.

| Original Score: 4.4/10 | May 22, 2012

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.

| Original Score: 1/4 | May 19, 2012

The experience of watching Samuel L. Jackson actually act is the only real pleasure to be gleaned from the movie.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 18, 2012

Even the spirited Ruth Negga can't lift this by-the-numbers neo-noir out of its dull parboiled rut.

| May 18, 2012

Director David Weaver and co-writer Elan Mastai twist the movie in several different directions before settling for a professional but generic pulp thriller.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 18, 2012

[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.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 18, 2012

It seems impossible that Jackson could go through an entire movie without ever raising his voice, but here he is.

| Original Score: 1/5 | May 18, 2012

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

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 18, 2012

"The Samaritan" proves that even Samuel L. Jackson can be boring.

| Original Score: 0.5/4 | May 18, 2012

The haphazard feeling of the narrative deflates any real tension.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | May 17, 2012

Way too much psychosexual melodrama, portrayed in performances that range from utterly bored (Jackson) to embarrassingly broad (Kirby).

| Original Score: 1/5 | May 17, 2012

The Samaritan takes a jarring turn right out of Park Chan-wook, and from there takes a tumble into ludicrousness from which it doesn't recover.

| Original Score: 5.5/10 | May 17, 2012

It's thoroughly mediocre, which feels like such a disappointment when one considers that the script's ingredients include murder, deception, sex, and ungodly sin.

| Original Score: C- | May 17, 2012

Sets itself up as a crime thriller yet fails to deliver more than a twinge of surprise as it meanders toward a flaccid endgame swindle.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | May 17, 2012

Jackson seems only interested in cashing his paycheck, even if it's not an especially large one.

| Original Score: C- | May 17, 2012

"The Samaritan" isn't a great noir, but it's true to the tradition and gives Samuel L. Jackson one of his best recent roles.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 17, 2012