SAMSON is an action drama film. It is based on the man Samson who is mentioned in the book of Judges in the Old Testament of the Bible. Samson is known for his strength. In the movie he expresses God gives him great strength as long as he does not drink wine, touch a dead body, or cut his hair. The great strength allows him to battle an entire Philistine army and kill a lion with his bare hands.
Samson (played by Taylor James) is called by God to lead his people. They rely on his strength when dealing with cruel treatment from the Philistines. Billy Zane plays King Balek, who orders his son Rallah (played by Jackson Rathbone) to kill Samson, but Rallah wants to keep Samson alive so he can discover why Samson is so strong. As a result, Rallah pays a woman named Delilah (played by Caitlin Leahy) to ask Samson about the source of his strength so that he can obtain it. Samson is faithful to God (that is his real strength) and hesitates, but eventually tells Delilah. His decision to share with Delilah changes everything.
I really wanted to see WINCHESTER, because I have toured the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California (http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/). The concept of the home's architecture is intriguing and Sarah Winchester seems like an interesting, but misunderstood individual. Currently, the home is smaller than in Mrs. Winchester's time, but still a maze of a residence with beautiful gardens. Here is a photo I took of Mrs. Winchester's notorious seance room:
Helen Mirren is a talented actress and always gives outstanding performances. She is an excellent choice for the role of Sarah Winchester.
WINCHESTER is a supernatural horror film. Since so many people are intrigued by Mrs. Winchester's desire to have continual construction on her home, the movie would be better as a mystery-suspense story. That could have worked because several gothic elements are already in place: large house, desolate location, mysterious events, etc. Screenwriters The Spierig Brothers and Tom Vaughan are clearly inspired by what prompted the home's design, but could have a more complete script by fully developing the character of Sarah. She is the one whose story needs to be shared, and then the mystery of the house would be solved. However, the full title of the movie is WINCHESTER: THE HOUSE THAT GHOSTS BUILT. So in this movie the focus is not on Sarah Winchester (as many may expect). Perhaps someone will write a story about Sarah Winchester one day, showing her home as the setting, and illustrating why she lived in such a residence.
Jason Clarke plays Eric Price. Eric is a doctor hired by the Winchester Company to assess Mrs. Winchester's mental state since executives want full control of the company. If Dr. Price can prove her mentally unfit, she will be removed from the business.
