The Equalizer (2014) Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz. IMDB says: “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.”
One of my favorite directors, Antoine Fuqua teams back up with Denzel Washington to bring us The Equalizer, a film based on the former TV series of the same name. Fuqua and Denzel both worked together on Training Day and their chemistry clearly shows on the screen. Denzel plays a quiet unassuming man named Robert McCall. McCall is just an average guy that sticks to a boring but methodical routine. McCall works at a home improvement store, takes the bus, lives alone, and goes to the same tiny diner every evening for a cup of tea and a good book. When McCall sees harm coming to what is little more than a stranger, he feels compelled to take action. It is at that point that we learn he is more than this quiet unassuming hardware store employee. He’s something more but what is not immediately apparent.
The film is set up particularly well. The seamless transformation from what we are introduced to in the film to who McCall truly is happens quickly but doesn’t become fully fleshed out until well into the film. This mystery keeps the audience guessing and it makes the film altogether more compelling. Denzel is fantastic, as can be expected of a star of his caliber. The primary antagonist is played by Marton Csokas who isn’t exactly a household name, but I found his visage familiar. He does well, conveying a certain calm violence that for many is difficult to pull off. To be honest, unlike a lot of films in this vein, I don’t find many faults in the acting or the screenplay here.
The film has quite a bit of violence. Bloody, gory, violence. That can be a turn-off for some and an attraction for others. In this film it almost seems a bit over the top, a bit too much. The thing is, this movie works really well because it’s the quiet guy with a hidden skillset that tries to do his part to level the playing field between the good guys and the bad. He should be understated and his actions somewhat reserved but that goes out the window in the first big action scene. In some ways I enjoyed the stark contrast, but in another, I feel the film could have been enhanced by just leaving something to the imagination.
At the end of the day, this is a solid film. It has a good premise. The plot development is good. The acting is great and it tosses in a few things audiences will enjoy. I really enjoy the way this film was shot and it really rings true to what Fuqua does, there are a lot of dingy, dimly lit shots and the use of certain shooting techniques really add a lit bit of dimension to the story being told. All in all it’s a good watch and I’d recommend seeing it in the theater if it sounds like something that might interest you.
OVERALL SCORE: 74%