Review: The Equalizer (15)

Director - Antoine Fuqua

Writer - Richard Denk

Starring - Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas

Runtime - 131 minutes


There are many people my age (a youthful 34 years) that may have heard of the television series The Equalizer but never watched an episode. It was an 80s show that starred Edward Woodward as a retired intelligence agent who helped people in trouble. Think the A-Team, but with more violence.

Fast forward to 2014 and Antoine Fuqua has once again teamed up with Denzel Washington, this time to produce a cinematic remake of the programme. 

We begin by meeting Washington's character, Robert McCall, who is far too meticulous for a simple assistant in a DIY store. But here he is, helping his co-workers and encouraging them to achieve their dreams. He blends in without truly being one of them as proved when he is quizzed by two younger colleagues about his past. The story then follows McCall to a 24 hour diner where he has a strange relationship with a young prostitute, played brilliantly by Chloe Grace Moretz. She has the right mix of innocence and world weariness; it's easy to forget that she once played a little girl who caused so much controversy with a certain C word.

This platonic relationship leads to some violent consequences when the young woman is severely beaten and our hero's true nature presents itself.

Without giving too much away, Robert's actions lead to a 'fixer' being sent from Russia to deal with this problem. Marton Csokas is adept at playing Russian scumbags on film and TV, all be it this time in an expensive suit. He is a worthy adversary for McCall and the face off between the two is captivating.

The final sequence takes place in the DIY store and features one of the most tense hand to hand fight scenes in recent history. There are some brutal kills that made several members of the audience audibly gasp. Shopping in B&Q may never be the same again.

I have read some reviews that complain about the lack of history of our hero. To that I say those people obviously feel the need to be spoon-fed information as they are too lazy to watch the film. Antoine Fuqua is a show, not tell, director. All the facts are lovingly displayed on the screen. The drama may not be as intense as Fuqua and Washington's first collaboration, Training Day, but it's still a thoroughly entertaining piece of cinema with great set pieces.

And, if nothing else, The Equalizer goes to prove that there is nobody who looks better than Washington when walking away from an explosion in slow motion.