HOLLYWOOD—Superstar Denzel Washington returns to the big screen this week with his latest foray, “The Equalizer.” The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the trailer for this movie is that rather this was a sequel to “Man on Fire,” but while some similarities are present, its not completely the same character.
This time around Washington portrays Robert McCall, an ex Special Forces operative who is eagerly attempting to escape his violent past, but is always tested to be pulled back into that life. His world is turned upside down when he witnesses a group of Russian mobsters violently attack teenage prostitute Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz). McCall soon makes it his mission to avenge the young girl and eliminate those who have done her wrong, at all costs.
Washington does not exude a character here that hasn’t been seen in the past. If you examine Washington’s prior work its apparent he has been typecast to a degree as an actor playing the hero with a dark past. The actor reteams with director Antoine Fuqua who was responsible for Washington’s Oscar for “Training Day.”
It’s apparent the trust between director Fuqua and Washington is evident in their second collaboration. McCall is a bit of mystery to most people; everyone wants to know what’s underneath the smile and cool demeanor he presents. There’s a man willing to exhibit extreme violence to prove that he’s not one to be messed with.
This movie is a brutal, violent ride. The violence is at a feverish pitch and it showcases some visceral fighting skills from Denzel. Its one man against the world and he’s not going down without a major fight. The movie which is written by Richard Wenk is brilliant and presenting a hero and villain who are equal adversaries.
In most situations, the villain excels over the hero or the hero excels over the villain, but here that is not the case. McCall faces a terrifying opponent in Teddy (Martin Csokas) who is a villain that will indeed scare audiences. “The Equalizer” is the perfect escape at the multiplex. For action fans it delivers all the goods, explosions, gun-fire and epic fights, for movie lovers its gives us 2 hours to escape into someone else’s world and focus on their problems and not ours.
