The inspirations are obvious here. The trunks, the diner, and the unprecedented shootout that drives the proceedings in unpredictable ways are just some of the elements you might find in movies that take “Pulp Fiction” as the type map. Tarantino’s classic has inspired a generation of filmmakers and essentially, Ruth Du’s “Samson” is one of those movies only. However, unlike most that take that inspiration to aping results, Du’s movie builds on it in unpredictable ways. While some of the choices that the filmmaker makes threaten to derail the narrative, the genre-shifting turns are always surprising and dare I say cathartic in ways that you might not expect.
The story of course begins at a diner. A bickering couple is seen sitting across one another after they have broken up – possibly to let this meet be a reconciliation or a final nail in the coffin. From the looks of it, the girl Emma (Alice Lee) has had it with Dale’s (Ryan Dance) overpowering, controlling nature that is stuck in a small-town mentality. However, the conversation, which she thinks might help her finally get Dale on some common ground where he does understand what she feels about not having agency in her own life doesn’t go as planned. Not able to take it anymore Emma decides to leave the meal mid-way, only to be put in the back of a trunk by masked kidnappers.
Now, at this juncture, a film would turn into an intense confrontation of sorts. But, Du’s film shifts gears as we return to another diner; this time we meet our kidnappers Drew and Joe (played by Will Brittain & Emilio Garcia-Sanchez). The tone changes as the two indulge in funny banter – something that Jules and Vincent would be proud of. Subsequently, we get second chances to understand these 4 main characters a little better before things go off. Props to co-writer David Harry Yoon who never settles for something conventional at any point, making “Samson” a constantly engaging Tête-à-tête.
The film hinges on the toxicity we lay bare on the ones around us and how the overbearing nature of it makes us do stupid things. But it’s also about the kindness that we sometimes let go of because we are blinded by a very personal and greedy shot at a life that is whole. These characters are all trapped in a self-made hell that they have dug around them – be it the person they choose to do life with or the one choice that leads them ashtray. They don’t necessarily get a redemption arc, but there’s a catharsis by the time we reach a well-earned finale.
There are times when the film does get a little self-indulgent – for example, a character just randomly meanders into a musical number. But the filmmaker manages to imbue the turns in real pathos, making the seriousness of the story feel earned. If you do like crime capers that go off the rails and almost always manage to keep the balance intact, you are in the right place.
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