Summary
4 tech score
“Samson” (Pure Flix)
A lot of people do not remember the 1949 film epic “Samson and Delilah” but it looms large over the current film version of the well known Bible story. This one is titled “Samson”; Delilah does not get co-billing. She is however featured in the story of the man who belonged to the tribe of Dan and was foretold to be the deliverer of his people. All of his feats of strength are reenacted and all of his weaknesses are laid bare as this mighty man struggles to do God’s will but too often succumbs to the sins of the flesh.
Samson (Taylor James) tries to follow the teachings of his parents (Lindsey Wagner and Rutger Hauer) but he is often sidetracked by a pretty face. Even though he is a staunch Hebrew he is attracted to a young woman named Taren (Frances Sholto-Douglas). Sho is a Philistine, the people who have enslaved the Hebrew nation. Prince Rallah (Jackson Rathbone) is aware of Samson’s strength and legend. He promises his father, King Balek (Billy Zane) that he will bring this man to his knees.
Conflict of this type usually makes for energetic and exciting movies but somehow this one meanders around while it should be racing towards the pinnacle of Samson’s story. Even the fight scenes between Samson and his enemies take on a sluggish quality.
This could be overcome if the right actor was playing the title role but James does not have the charisma to pull it off. He is passable as the man of mighty strength, but he flunks out as the man who is led by his heart. His romance with Taren is lukewarm, and with Delilah (Caitlin Leahy) it is a best friends situation at best. Audiences expect a much more involved love story with Delilah since it leads to Samson’s biggest failure as well as his biggest redemption.
This is not to say the intent of the film is not good. The film makers play it by the book and in this case the book is the Bible. Most of the details of the story make it into this movie. Still to buy into the fact Samson could be seduced by Delilah into revealing the secrets of his strength these two actors have to have chemistry. There is none here.
The best actor in the movie is Rathbone. He is as cruel and wily as you could want. He steals each and every scene in which he appears. At times you are left to wish the title of the movie was “Rallah” instead of “Samson.”
The movie is rated PG-13 for violence.
This is definitely the sanitized version of “Samson,” cleansed of any passion to insure it plays well with its intended Christian audience. However if you wan to see a movie that explores the Samson and Delilah dynamic search out the 1949 flick.
I scored “Samson” a weak 4 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
“This is the sanitized version that can easily be shown in churches.”
Is this comment meant to be negative? Not sure what you expected from a pureflix film. They are known for producing family friendly content.
I try to be very supportive of faith based films, but I realize they have to be entertaining to reach an audience. “Samson” is a beloved story from the Bible, but it is a story about his downfall due to his love for Delilah. This is a story of blind passion that is told in a very bland way in this screen version. I think with better actors, or with a little more emotion shown by the characters, the movie could have had broader appeal. Pure Flix, I believe, wants to reach as wide an audience as it can with its movies. This one appeals primarily to the Christian base hence the church reference.