Review of The Equalizer (2014) by Richard B — 30 Sep 2017
This is a very entertaining action film done with style and the usual great performance by Denzel Washington. I'm rating it compared to others within this genre and not against a broader range of good movies where it's not such a fair comparison.
The film has some serious violence but mostly in fairly quick bursts rather than lingering on brutality and gore. There's no complex story or deep meaning here-just the pursuit of street justice for the wicked preying upon the weak.
Washington plays Robert McCall, a retired operative (no detail about his background) with a very high level of skills who decides he needs to bring justice for those who can't fend for themselves, starting with the destruction of a Russian mob with various criminal activities in his city.
He turns out to be a one-man wrecking crew who can't be stopped, even by a vicious sociopath who tries to kill this mysterious adversary taking down the baddies. I haven't seen the TV series this seems to be based on, but the movie is satisfying on its own.
The direction and cinematography are stylish and effective. My only real complaint is that the ending is a bit too happy/sappy and the final music is totally overbearing and obnoxious--both the final scene and with the credits afterward.
It's a jarring way to conclude a film that was so well-done until then.
This review of The Equalizer (2014) was written by Richard B on 30 Sep 2017.
The Equalizer has generally received positive reviews.
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