The Equalizer (2014)

The Equalizer (2014)

2014 R 132 Minutes

Thriller | Action | Crime

In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chlo...

Overall Rating

7 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • WHAT I LIKED: The Equalizer is - first and foremost - a good character-study which plays the cards of its intriguing central character close to the chest - slowly unraveling a mysterious man as the film progresses. We begin in his apartment where it's revealed that he's extremely meticulous, calculating and lonely; then we see him at work where he appears to be well-liked but is harbouring a kind of contempted melancholy and suspicion. He encourages those around him to make the best of themselves and yet you get the impression he's not quite making the best of his own life, and only when the plot eventually kicks into motion and he winds up on a crusade to rid his city of its most exploitative people do we begin to truly understand him. It's a great watch partly because it reveals itself so slowly, but it also works of course because Denzel Washington does such a brilliant job with the character - not letting on too much too quickly whilst still building someone that you can root for and care about whose attitude to the poison of the underworld he's fighting is admirable (if obviously ridiculous). That poison is also built very well too, as director Antoine Fuqua does a great job of portraying the dirt under New York's fingernails, and the evil at work is very clearly outlined by the script as we get plenty of room to see the affect had on its victims.
    That all makes it a rather intriguing and mysterious film overall, and as a result of that the releases of tension work even better than otherwise. Fuqua unsurprisingly directs the action with assurance, and the creativity of the stunts and props is enough to produce plenty of smiles. In the end that makes for a thoroughly captivating character-study wrapped up in an entertaining action thriller, and that's no bad thing.

    WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It's not a remotely meaningful film by any stretch of the imagination, though it does seem to think it is at times.

    VERDICT: A smart, unraveling character-study wrapped up in a well-executed - if obviously ridiculous - action-thriller, Antoine Fuqua's 'The Equalizer' is engaging from start to finish, even if it's not remotely as profound as it thinks it is.