The Samaritan
Encyclopedia
The Samaritan, currently under the title Lie Down With Darkness, is an upcoming neo-noir
thriller written and directed by David Weaver. A trailer was released on its website.
) is finished with the grifter
's life. Prison and a lifetime in the game have stripped him of friends, family and a reason to get up in the morning. But when he meets an elusive young woman named Iris (Ruth Negga
), the possibility of a new start looks real.
Yet his past is proving to be a stubborn companion: Ethan (Luke Kirby
), the son of his former partner, wants to learn the game–and who better to learn from than the closest thing he has to a father? And he has the perfect mark–his boss Xavier (Tom Wilkinson
), a brutal man admired in the straight world for his business savvy, and feared in the underworld for his ruthlessness. Xavier is coming to town, and there is an easy $8 million to be had if they know how to play smart.
The play is an old classic con–"The Samaritan"–the inside man, the outside man, the catch and the mark. It is a dangerous and high-risk setup requiring nerves of steel, precision timing and a bit of finesse to make it convincing. Foley could do it in his sleep–if he wanted to. But he does not and he will not. That is until Ethan raises the stakes and plays some cards that Foley never knew were in the deck. He is trapped and the con is on.
Foley finds himself caught up in a nightmare situation and for the first time, with something personal to lose. The mark proves more formidable than Foley anticipated and every unexpected turn could blow the whole thing up, leaving Foley vulnerable, exposed and hopelessly watching everything that matters to him slip through his fingers.
In a good con, nothing is as it seems, and Foley finds out too late that the player has been played.
The only way out is to play the game to the end, and hope they make it out alive.
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
thriller written and directed by David Weaver. A trailer was released on its website.
Plot
After twenty-five years in prison, Foley (Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
) is finished with the grifter
Grifter
Grifter is a fictional comic book character from in the Wildstorm Universe. He is best known as a member of Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S...
's life. Prison and a lifetime in the game have stripped him of friends, family and a reason to get up in the morning. But when he meets an elusive young woman named Iris (Ruth Negga
Ruth Negga
Ruth Negga is an Ethiopian-Irish actress who has starred in Irish films such as Capital Letters , Isolation and Breakfast On Pluto...
), the possibility of a new start looks real.
Yet his past is proving to be a stubborn companion: Ethan (Luke Kirby
Luke Kirby (actor)
-Early life:Luke was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to two American expatriates. His mother is from Brooklyn, New York, and his father grew up "along the eastern seaboard". His parents moved from New York City, New York, to Canada in 1974...
), the son of his former partner, wants to learn the game–and who better to learn from than the closest thing he has to a father? And he has the perfect mark–his boss Xavier (Tom Wilkinson
Tom Wilkinson
Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Wilkinson, OBE is a British actor. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton...
), a brutal man admired in the straight world for his business savvy, and feared in the underworld for his ruthlessness. Xavier is coming to town, and there is an easy $8 million to be had if they know how to play smart.
The play is an old classic con–"The Samaritan"–the inside man, the outside man, the catch and the mark. It is a dangerous and high-risk setup requiring nerves of steel, precision timing and a bit of finesse to make it convincing. Foley could do it in his sleep–if he wanted to. But he does not and he will not. That is until Ethan raises the stakes and plays some cards that Foley never knew were in the deck. He is trapped and the con is on.
Foley finds himself caught up in a nightmare situation and for the first time, with something personal to lose. The mark proves more formidable than Foley anticipated and every unexpected turn could blow the whole thing up, leaving Foley vulnerable, exposed and hopelessly watching everything that matters to him slip through his fingers.
In a good con, nothing is as it seems, and Foley finds out too late that the player has been played.
The only way out is to play the game to the end, and hope they make it out alive.
Cast
- Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as Foley - Luke KirbyLuke Kirby (actor)-Early life:Luke was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to two American expatriates. His mother is from Brooklyn, New York, and his father grew up "along the eastern seaboard". His parents moved from New York City, New York, to Canada in 1974...
as Ethan - Ruth NeggaRuth NeggaRuth Negga is an Ethiopian-Irish actress who has starred in Irish films such as Capital Letters , Isolation and Breakfast On Pluto...
as Iris - Tom WilkinsonTom WilkinsonThomas Geoffrey "Tom" Wilkinson, OBE is a British actor. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton...
as Xavier - Gil BellowsGil BellowsGil Bellows is a Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for the roles of Tommy Williams in The Shawshank Redemption, Billy Thomas in the television series Ally McBeal and as CIA agent Matt Callan in the television series The Agency.-Early life:Bellows was born in Vancouver, British...
as Bartender Bill - Aaron PooleAaron PooleAaron Poole is a Canadian actor. His credits include the films Killing Zelda Sparks, Adoration and This Beautiful City, and the television series Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and ZOS: Zone of Separation. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 29th Genie Awards for his performance in This...
as Jake