Film Review - The Equalizer (2014)

At the Theater- "The Equalizer" - Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall, a former black-ops government operative who relinquishes his quiet, unassuming lifestyle to come to the aide of a teenaged prostitute (Chloe Grace Moretz) being victimized by her Russian mafia handlers.  The first two thirds of this film is an intelligent and engaging Drama/Thriller that falls close to greatness, which makes it all the more disappointing when the third act devolves into an unwieldy and over-stuffed action flick that jumps the logistical rails and never recovers. 

Denzel Washington's McCall is a likeable sort, personable yet private while living a solitary, OCD riddled existence in Boston.  His days are spent working in a Home Depot-style hardware store while his nights are spent frequenting a nearby all-night diner and reading classic literature.  Washington is in fine, enjoyable form throughout, providing a performance that's ultimately far superior to the film he's in.

Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) fans may find themselves disappointed with the young actress's lack of involvement here- she's relegated to a mere several minutes of screen-time, yet puts in solid work.

Marton Csokas (The Debt) provides a memorable main villain as a Russian cleaner sent into town to square off against McCall.  I do wish the filmmakers had devised a better send-off for the despicable character...

Bill Pullman (Independence Day) and Melissa Leo (The Fighter) share a painfully brief segment as a married couple with ties to McCall's past, while David Harbour (End Of Watch) and Haley Bennett (Marley & Me) round out the notable cast, portraying a crooked cop and an ill-fated prostitute, respectively.

Director Antoine Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen, Shooter, Brooklyn's Finest) seemingly has a problem maintaining a quality film, with a filmography littered with offerings that start off very well but ultimately crap the bed with poor last acts.  Tears Of The Sun (2003) and King Arthur (2004), for instance, were Fuqua-helmed films that I felt were moving along surprisingly well until disastrous third acts undermined all that transpired before.  The Director and his star reunite here for the first time since 2001's Training Day, and although that film is powered by Denzel's villainous performance, I'm not so sure anyone can claim it boasts a well-structured conclusion.  I guess I should have expected trouble when I was enjoying the hell out of The Equalizer's first two acts... 

A poorly rendered, super-imposed shot of Denzel walking in slow-motion towards the camera as a massive explosion rocks the landscape behind him is the worst kind of action-film infraction- it seems pulled from a current Steven Seagal DTV release and marks the very moment in the film where the narrative started to lose me.

A climactic showdown between Denzel's avenger and several well-armed bad guys, set in a massive hardware store, quickly deteriorates into a ludicrous slasher film- it's a subversive diversion with just a few too many trips to the tool-shed for my tastes; death by pole-saw, death by barbed-wire noose, death by power drill, death by nail-gun, death by microwave oven filled with hydrogen/oxygen bottles... "Jason Voorhees" and "MacGyver" would have been very proud.  The timing and pinpoint precision of a few booby-traps in this segment are so excruciatingly exact that it should leave a more intelligent viewer's eyes rolling in utter disbelief.  The material is admirably Hard-R in nature, bloody and violent as hell, though needlessly, irredeemably contrived.

There are positives here: a mid-film altercation between a handful of Russian gangsters is pretty nifty while an extended, MMA-style grappling sequence between McCall and a hulking henchman near film's conclusion is well-choreographed and intense.  The film is exceptionally shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Mauro Fiore (Avatar) while there are several well-placed soundtrack selections- Zack Hemsey's "Vengeance" is utilized rather well during the film's climax.

For those interested, this film is based on an American television series of the same name that ran for four seasons during the mid to late 1980's ('85-'89).  English actor Edward Woodward (some also remember him from 1973's Horror/Thriller The Wicker Man) starred as Robert McCall in the show, a retired intelligence officer who lent his special skills out to those good souls being persecuted by the wicked.  I must confess that I cannot recall watching more than a few seconds of that particular show (I was too enthralled with Miami Vice and Magnum P.I. during that stretch), so there's nothing that I can add by way of comparison or contrast.

The Equalizer's early box-office success (coupled with a relatively modest production budget) indicates that audiences will be getting a sequel sometime in 2016- although I'm still a huge fan of Denzel Washington (always will be), I won't be too interested in a sequel to this film if Antoine Fuqua isn't replaced as Director.  If only Washington had found his first career franchise with the criminally underrated, 1940's era Mystery/Thriller, Devil In A Blue Dress...

There are indeed similarities between this film and the most excellent Man On Fire, yet I would consider them topical at best.  Man On Fire was both soulful and powerful, a kick-ass crowd-pleaser of the first order that ranks right up there with the very best Guy Movies ever made.  Overall, The Equalizer is a pale imitation- one in desperate need of a 15 minute trim.  I wanted to love this film but ended up faced with a barely passable guilty pleasure that becomes increasingly guilty each time I think about it...

7.0 out of 10

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbor, Haley Bennett, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, David Meunier and Johnny Skourtis
Run-Time: 131 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references