The Equalizer
DIRECTOR: Antoine Fuqua, WRITTEN BY: Richard Wenk, BASED ON: 'The Equalizer' (television series) BY: Michael Sloan, Richard Lindheim, STARRING: Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz, RUN TIME: 132 minutes, RELEASE: 2014
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 (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened.
'The Equalizer' is directed by Antoine Fuqua, who previous credits include Olympus Has Fallen (2013), 'Shooter' (2007), 'Tears of the Sun' (2003) and 'Training Day' (2001), among others and so is no stranger to the action/thriller genre. For me, he was a great choice to helm the film adaptation of such a fantastic series, and he did not disappoint. He really does know exactly what he wants and what the audience need in an action flick. Couple Fuqua with the writing talents of Richard Wenk, who is responsible for penning such films as 'The Expendables 2' (2012), 'The Mechanic' (2011) and 'Sixteen Blocks' (2006). Okay, admittedly, they are not the best examples of great films but, the point is that he has a style of writing that fits into the ethos of this story. To that end, Fuqua and Wenk have done a great job in bringing us a wonderfully satisfying film.
Now, obviously I was going to compare this with the original television series and to be honest, it does stay faithful to it in several ways. The overall back story of the character of McCall has stayed intact in the way that the history of this character is pretty limited in its information. We know that McCall worked for some government agency but, were never told exactly what that was and I'm pleased to see that the film kept this hint of mystery about the formidable character. 'The Equalizer' also sticks to the morality message of 'right over wrong' and succeeds - for what could have been an over-the-top action nightmare - in staying fairly reserved and giving the film real heart and warmth. Don't get me wrong, I say 'reserved' but, there are plenty of action scenes to satisfy the audience, and they are all smartly executed. However, they do not make up the percentage of the film but, work in equal partnership with the actual story. The whole film moves along at a brilliantly humble and deliberate pace whilst never once making you feel like you just want to notch it up a gear or two to get things moving on.
That being said, 'The Equalizer' is not without its slight flaws. I say 'slight' because they are really only personal pet-peeves. Some parts of this film are so cheesy but, that's not too much of an issue since the original series was a product of the 80s (The capitol time-lord of cheese). However, the slow-motion moments really grate on me. Most of the time they are just completely unnecessary but, that's not really a fair critique of the film as slow-motion shots pretty much irritate the crap out of me in most things (I'm looking especially at you, Quicksilver scene, in X-Men: Days of Future Past'). I just feel like they are criminally over used. What I absolutely hate the most are the 'man/woman/team walks away from a car/city/gas-fire explosion' scenes. I hate them so much. In hindsight though, that really is my only complaint so maybe I should just shut up and take that with a pinch of salt?
The casting is absolutely phenomenal. Is there any actor cooler than Denzel Washington and perfect for the role of the mild-mannered, seemingly everyday man, Robert McCall (previously played in the series by the late and great Edward Woodward)? My answer is a simple and firm NO! Denzel is the undisputed personification of it, in my opinion. He approaches every single role with such laid-back and effortless, quietly spoken charm and his style is suited no more perfectly than in the role of Robert McCall. Denzel nails every moment of every scene that he graces. That being said, a great protagonist needs and equally great protagonist to balance the scale and by God, does 'The Equalizer' have one in the form of Russian enforcer 'Teddy'. Teddy is portrayed sensationally by New Zealand born actor, Marton Csokas. He is so smooth and quietly terrifying throughout the whole thing and stands equally on par with Denzel. There is also a wonderful performance from the ever fantastic, Chloe Grace Moretz, who makes a great little appearance as the catalyst character, Teri. Moretz never fails to shine and this is certainly no exception.
Overall, 'The Equalizer' is a superb film. It has action, emotion, heart, meaning and so much more to keep you enthralled. I really hope that this film does well enough to warrant a sequel. I for one would love to see how the story progresses. Excellent work.