Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Written by Tyrell Walden-Martin
Has anyone ever seen a movie where Denzel Washington was the star and ever thought to themselves, “He doesn’t fit this role…I don’t see this as believable.” Nope, those thoughts never crossed my mind neither. It just seems that Denzel can do no wrong, no matter what kind of character he is playing; whether he is playing a crooked cop (Training Day), a powerful African-American figurehead (Malcolm X), or as a night vigilante who seeks the justice for those who can’t defend themselves in The Equalizer.
The Equalizer is the story of Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), who seems to be a middle-aged man trying to live an average life. One evening, while Robert is reading at a diner that he visits daily, he encounters a young prostitute by the name of Teri (Chloe Grace Mortetz). He starts to make it part of his natural schedule to speak to her every time he goes to the diner. One night, while they are out on the town, he witnesses her being taken away by the Russian mobsters she works for. He soon gets word that she was abused so badly that she had to be admitted into the hospital. Then we find out who the real Robert McCall is.
If there was one thing I learned from watching any movie starring Denzel Washington, it was never make Denzel’s character mad. It ends up bad for the opposition. After watching The Equalizer, I feel as though I saw the movie before. It reminded me of The Punisher which was released in 2004. The Punisher was about an undercover FBI agent who becomes a vigilante assassin goes on a killing spree seeking vengeance upon the businessman who murdered his family. The difference between the two of the movies is that The Equalizer isn’t as dark of a movie as The Punisher was. Denzel Washington’s character has a deeper backstory as far as who he is and where he comes from. The plot from The Equalizer goes way more in depth as far as the plot goes while maintaining the same amount of violence and gore as The Punisher. Now I know some of you are thinking, “Wow, The Punisher was a very gory movie.” And that it was. So if you loved the gore from The Punisher but with a deeper story, then The Equalizer is the movie for you.
In conclusion, the Oscar award-winning actor has done it again. The Equalizer is the action film of 2014 that is challenging the upcoming movies in 2015 to put a plot behind a gory movie. Its ok to have blood and gore in your movies. Just make sure that the movie makes us think once in a while too. The Equalizer set the tone, can’t wait to see who follows suit.
