The Equalizer
Starring Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Lighting doesn’t strike twice in the reteaming of 59-year old Denzel Washington and Training Day director Antoine Fuqua but sparks certainly fly.
Based very loosely on the 80s TV series, The Equalizer begins with the mysterious Robert McCall (Washington) quietly going about his day job in a big-box home hardware store and spending his insomnia-filled nights dispensing wisdom to a young prostitute named Teri (Moretz) at the local 24-hour diner.
McCall’s enigmatic past comes to light once Teri falls prey to some Russian gangsters and Denzel swiftly goes into ass-kicking mode. This is both fun to watch and eye-rolling at the same time as Fuqua opts for overused stylistic slow motion to literally show the audience how McCall analyzes a dangerous scenario and deduces how to emerge victorious.
It’s a completely unnecessary gimmick that turns The Equalizer’s strong premise and opening act into a sometimes hackneyed action flick. Once McCall dispenses his tough brand of justice on the local thugs he soon incurs the wrath of head honcho Teddy, a seething and calculating Marton Csokas.
The film is carried effectively by Washington, who fully commits to the complex character and relishes in the role, but the shaky third act is more akin to Liam Neeson’s Taken franchise meets Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan with a final showdown resembling an R-rated Home Alone. There is so much intrigue in The Equalizer but Fuqua seems so keen to show off his bag of visual tricks it often distracts from the otherwise compelling drama.
