Samaritan plot summary
Samaritan is not your average superhero movie. It's edgier than most, and more of a relationship drama about an arrogant man and a dashing teenage boy than a comic book drama.
That's not to say there isn't any action, though, because bad guys are still being beaten and superheroes are being pulled off. So, while it may not be as great as the movies within the MCU, you should still enjoy the movie.
What is Samaritan about?
The film focuses on 13-year-old Sam and his neighbor Joe. Sam, who thought he was a superhero, apparently died many years ago along with his evil twin brother, Nemesis. It soon becomes clear that Joe has superpowers, but is he the superhero Sam thinks he is?
Who is the Samaritan?
During the film's title sequence, we learn about two super-powered brothers, Samaritan and Nemesis (probably not their real names), whose parents died in a fire set by locals who feared the boy's destructive powers. The brothers survived the fire, but instead of coming together over the incident, they became sworn enemies. samaritan decided to fight on the side of good and protect the citizens of Granite City, while Nemesis, burning with anger, decided to take revenge on the city and his brother.
During the opening credits, we see Nemesis trap the Samaritan, but instead of gaining the upper hand over his brother, the two of them die in a massive explosion.
25 years later, we meet Sam, a boy who is convinced that the Samaritan is still alive. When Joe, a lone garbage man living in the apartment building next door, is rescued from a gang of thugs, he begins to believe that the garbage collector is a legendary superhero.
Sam isn't the only one who thinks Joe is a Samaritan. We also meet the local crime lord Cyrus and his criminal gang. Cyrus wants to turn Granite City into a criminal empire, and as part of his nefarious plans, manages to get Nemesis' mask and hammer after breaking the police lock. When Cyrus's men try and fail to kill Joe in a speeding car, they too come to believe that Joe is a Samaritan.
But is Joe really a Samaritan? Or is he just a guy who wants to be left alone?
Despite Sam's attempts to pass him off as a hero, we don't learn his true identity until the end of the film. But when Sam is kidnapped by Cyrus, Joe is spurred into action and we finally learn the truth about his identity.
Is Joe the superhero everyone thought was dead?
Joe looks like a Samaritan. It becomes clear that he has a superpower after seeing him save Sam from the bandits at the beginning of the movie. We also see evidence of Joe's superpowers when he breaks into Cyrus' lair to save Sam. So he is a Samaritan?
Well, Cyrus certainly thinks so, and he taunts Joe as a "good man, a Samaritan."
So does that mean he wasn't a Samaritan?
The film flashes back to the past and the final battle between Samaritan and Nemesis. We see that the Samaritan has the upper hand, but when he is given the opportunity to kill Nemesis with a hammer, he refuses and throws away the weapon. Unfortunately, the building they're fighting in begins to collapse after an explosion, blowing off the ceiling. The Samaritan apparently dies, leaving Nemesis as the last man standing. He takes off his mask and reveals himself to be Joe!
So Joe is not the superhero that Sam and Cyrus believe him to be. He is actually Nemesis!!
Back in the present, Joe/Nemesis destroys Cyrus and his villains and saves Sam from further harm.
But when Sam is interviewed about the person who saved him, instead of revealing Joe's true identity, he says, "The Samaritan lives."
So Joe isn't a superhero?
Well, he's not the hero people think he is, but he still proved his heroic credentials when he saved Sam. So even though Joe is Nemesis, it's clear that there is good in him (even though we see him throw Cyrus into the fire).
He tells Sam that "good and bad live in everyone's heart and it will be up to you to make the right choice." It points to the hero/villain in all of us, and it points to the blurred morals in Joe.
So while Joe isn't necessarily a superhero, he isn't the evil villain that people think Nemesis is.
Of course, Joe has a choice after Sam outs him as a Samaritan. He could go back to work as a garbage collector, or he could wear his dead brother's clothes and become a Samaritan. If a sequel is ever announced, Joe could be a full-fledged superhero despite the darkness that still exists within him.