Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz
Rated MA
Score 5/6

A man believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and has dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her.

For those of you who might not know The Equalizer was adapted from an 80’s TV show of the same name that stared Edward Woodward and was created by Michael Sloan & Richard Lindheim and ran from 1985 to 1989. Personally I don’t have any memories of watching the TV series but then again I was only seven when the series ended. After watching the movie I was compelled to venture on to YouTube to find what I could of the original television series.
There is a vast difference between the styles of the television series and the movie. Don’t go into this expecting a fast paced action movie you might end up finding yourself being disappointed, though if you have the patience you will be richly rewarded with some brilliantly crafted action sequences.
The pairing of director Antoine Fuqua with Denzel Washington who had previously worked together in 2001 on Training Day was brilliant. It should be noted that Washington’s portrayal of McCall was almost a complete 180 from Woodward’s. Washington’s McCall was mysterious yet very likeable a man of simple tastes who was capable of a level of emotional detachment that lent very well to the gritty brutal nature of the action sequences. I loved Marton Csokas performance as Teddy. Throughout the movie I kept on comparing Csokas to Jason Isaacs who in my mind has a very similar jaw to Csokas and was the only other man who could have played Teddy with the nuances. I would have liked just a hint of seen a hint of exposition into McCall’s life but that is probably going to come with the sequel. Personally I believe that it was a rather presumptuous move on the part of the filmmakers but plans for a sequel are in the works before the movie has finished its run at the theaters.