Washington invaluable in slick Equalizer
FILM | Chuck Koplinski
There’s no escaping the “been-there-donethat” feel that hangs over the new Denzel Washington actioner The Equalizer. Based ever so loosely on the Edward Woodward television series from the 80s, you can’t help but draw connections between this, Washington’s own Man on Fire and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Robert McCall, the film’s one man wrecking crew exacts his own brand of vengeance on the lowlifes who have the misfortune of crossing his path. As directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), the movie has a gritty feel to it that perfectly suits the material with the many action sequences slickly rendered.
McCall (Washington), an ex-intelligence agent, is looking to live the rest of his days in quiet contemplation, working retail in a big box hardware store and residing in a tidy, minimal apartment. Problem is, he’s haunted by tragic events in his past, often resulting in nightmares that wake him from a sound slumber, sending him to a local diner where he reads to pass the time. However, he takes note of Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a ragged teenage prostitute who eventually is brutally beaten by her Russian pimp. Upon hearing of this, McCall’s long-suppressed instincts kick in and he sets out to systematically dismantle the Red crime organization that has its fingers in more United State’s business than you can shake a sickle and hammer at.
Fuqua and screenwriter Richard Wenk know that stories such as this appeal to viewers on a primal level and they deliver the required scenes of mayhem with a slickness that’s nearly impossible to resist. Three different sequences – McCall takes out five mobsters in record time when he goes to appeal for Teri’s freedom, our hero takes over a Russian stronghold singlehandedly and a siege during the climax at his place of employment, in which various hardware implements are used in a lethal manner – will have the audience cheering at the clever bloodletting that ensues.
Washington’s presence is invaluable. He makes the improbable seem possible, taking out the bad guys with a calm that borders on the humorous. Much like the recent Sherlock Holmes films, Fuqua employs the device that allows us to see how McCall will disarm, stab, beat and abuse his adversaries before it happens. Washington’s calm charisma allows us to buy into the ridiculous acts his character pulls off and as a result, the movie is not without some much needed humor.
If the film has a fault it’s that it overstays its welcome. What with covering such dog-eared material there’s no reason the movie should be over two hours and at 131 minutes, it’s at least 20 minutes too long. Still, a memorable villain with the misleading name of Teddy, every bit as capable as McCall and played with convincing menace by Marton Csokas, as well as its ability to give Washington’s audience exactly what it wants, makes The Equalizer a slickly made, blood-soaked piece of popcorn entertainment.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at ckoplinski@usd116.org.
