Director: Antonie Fuqua
Writer: Richard Wenk (Screenplay) Michael Sloan, Richard Lindheim (Television Show)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Haley Bennett, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo
Plot: A man believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and has dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Modern Vigilantism
Story: The Equalizer starts by showing Robert McCall (Washington) going about his daily routine in his OCD ways. Robert works in a hardware factory called Home Mart where he is loved by the fellow employees. Robert has a very secretive past that the fellow workers try to figure out about Robert also has a friendship with prostitute Teri (Moretz) who he ends up meeting in a late night diner every night.
After Teri gets beaten up by her pimp Robert decides to take a stand by trying to save her, but when the deal doesn’t happen Robert takes matters into his own hands and making enemies with a Russian mob. The Russians send in Teddy (Csokas) a fixer to investigate what happened and after figuring out it wasn’t a rival gang they start looking elsewhere. Robert finds himself turning into a vigilante and trying to stop corrupt cops but the investigation that involves looking for Teri could put the Russians on a path with Robert. Robert having completed his two good deeds Robert goes onto returning to his normal life with little excitement.
Robert continues his good deeds after the store he works at is robbed but he is unaware that the Russian’s are looking for him. After he finds out about the Russian’s Robert decides to take them down along with the corrupt cops once and fall all using his connection with the agency.
The Equalizer takes us into a story that is easy to follow but hard to believe as we follow the one man crusade against a whole mob. The pace of the film comes off nicely as certain other films with a similar subject had slow patches which lost the intense level they could have had. This keeps everything running by showing both sides knowing and keeping Robert’s past hidden long enough to leave us wondering. My negative about this film is how Robert managed to take on all those people without suffering any injuries when we know how ruthless the Russian are. In the end this is an extremely watchable film that could be enjoyed by all the fans. (7/10)
Actor Review
Denzel Washington: Robert McCall quiet man who is loved by the people he works with but keeps everything about his personal life very secretive, but when he befriends a young prostitute he gets beaten up by her pimp and Robert returns to his former life taking out the Russians. Denzel gives a good performance in the leading role dominating the screen every time he is on it. (8/10)
Marton Csokas: Teddy ruthless fixer for the Russians who ends up entering into a cat and mouse battle for one up man ship against Robert. Marton makes for a good villain but in the end comes off very much generic. (6/10)
Chloe Grace Moretz: Teri prostitute who gets beaten up that leads to the start of Robert’s vigilante run against the Russians. Chloe does a good job in the supporting role but could have been used for a longer time. (6/10)
Support Cast: The Equalizer has a supporting cast of work colleagues who don’t know about Robert’s secret but who he keeps safe. It also has the corrupt cops working for the Russians who get what is coming to them.
Director Review: Antoine Fuqua – Antoine does a good job directing this vigilante thriller. (8/10)
Action: The Equalizer has good combat scenes that are more about flashy moves to win quickly. (8/10)
Thriller: The Equalizer pulls you in to what will happen next but slowly paced before big final fight. (7/10)
Settings: The Equalizer uses the settings well to show how each character enters into different worlds to their own normal one. (7/10)
Suggestion: The Equalizer is one for the action fans to enjoy. (Action Fans Watch)
Best Part: Final showdown.
Worst Part: Seems a bit too much for one man to do.
Action Scene Of The Film: Final showdown.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $192 Million
Budget: $55 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 12 Minutes
Tagline: What do you see when you look at me?
Trivia: Actress Chloe Grace Moretz fought for the role of Teri when she found out it was written for someone of the age of 24. She presented herself so well, the director immediately made the change.
Overall: Good Action Thriller
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