Film Review: ‘Samson’

Written by: Kelly Meade (2/6/2018)

There have been many stories written about men with great abilities and courage. These stories tend to be full of action, drama, love, loss, fighting the bad guys and a hero saving the day. While many of these are works of fiction, the Biblical account of Samson tells of an actual man of God who was given seemingly super-human strength in exchange for living a life devoted to the Lord. As a familiar superhero saying states, “with great power comes great responsibility” and through watching movies or reading comic books about our favorite heroes, we know one common theme within is also true for them as well as every human being that’s ever lived – no one is perfect or immune to poor decisions and deception.

The film Samson takes place in Gaza during a time when people are suffering at the hands of the Philistines and a ruthless king. Samson and his family are faithful servants of the Lord and Samson has lived his life according to certain guidelines as a chosen one. As he grew into a man he came to possess mighty physical strength, far beyond that of any normal human. In order to maintain his strength, he has vowed not to cut his hair or get pulled into the corruption of the world and to keep his hands from touching bodies of the dead. He does what he can to protect and provide for his family, though they face hardships as a result of being enslaved by the Philistine people.

After losing the woman he loves and feeling as though he’s failed his family and God, Samson exiles himself. When he’s found, Samson is encouraged to not give up on his faith or the purpose for his life. At a pivotal moment, Samson defeats an entire Philistine army single handedly as he calls upon the Lord to be his strength. Upon witnessing the desolation of their fellow soldiers, we hear men declare that Samson’s God is with him.

With the assistance of his lover, Delilah, the Philistine prince is determined to discover the secret of Samson’s strength and strip him of it. Delilah beguiles Samson into a relationship of sorts and while she appears remorseful for her actions, it doesn’t change the deception that took place or the results of it that drove Samson into a humbled, prayerful state. He cries out to God to grant him the ability to somehow still fulfill his calling and allow his people freedom from the Philistines leading to the penultimate moment of the film.

As with every movie based on a Biblical character, it’s important to read the actual Scriptural account found in the Bible so that you can discern fact from added fiction. I will caution that this movie may be a little brutal & difficult for some to watch at times seeing a man dispatch an army with his bare hands and the torture certain characters are put through. That being said, Samson is an action-packed movie with many well-filmed fight scenes and an intriguing story that keeps viewers’ attention. The overall message of trust in God’s purpose for your life and being willing to give up anything for that purpose is one that we can all take and apply to our lives as we strive to serve the Lord every day.

Cast includes:
Taylor James as Samson
Jackson Rathbone as Rallah
Billy Zane as King Balek
Rutger Hauer as Manoah
Lindsay Wagner as Zealphonis
Caitlin Leahy as Delilah
Frances Sholto-Douglas as Taren
Greg Kriek as Caleb

Rating Here 3.7/5