MOVIE OF THE WEEK (9/26/14): THE EQUALIZER
 |
| "Oh, this little mess behind me? I had to show someone how funny I found their 'Is this Man on Fire Part 2?' joke!" McCall (Denzel Washington) leaves in a blaze – literally – in a scene from director Antoine Fuqua's take on the 80s TV series-turned-2014 action thriller THE EQUALiZER. Credit: Phillip Caruso © 2013 CTMG. All Rights Reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas, David Meunier, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Johnny Skourtis and Haley Bennett with Vladimir Kulich
WRITER(S): Richard Wenk (screenplay); Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim (TV series on which the film is inspired by)
DIRECTOR(S): Antoine Fuqua
WEB SITE: http://www.equalizerthemovie.com/60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS (OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS ONE CAN TRY TO MAKE): Inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name – click here for a look to jog your memory if you vaguely remember it or don't at all (by the way the original actor was white and British), The Equalizer stars Denzel Washington as Bob McCall, a man with a past ... A past which he doesn't talk about and those who could are likely not able to anymore, if you get the drift. These days, McCall keeps a low profile, working at a Home Mart in Boston helping Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis) train to lose weight in hopes of becoming one of the store's security guards.
All is well for McCalluntil he happens to come across the path of Alina a.k.a. "Teri" (Chloë Grace Moretz). A young girl who always seems to be hanging out at the same diner where McCall eats in solitude late at night, Alina has a problem she doesn't know how to solve that involves a very stern boss named Slavi (David Meunier). Not one to just sit idly by and watch a young girl's life be thrown away for the sake of a man who couldn't care less about her, McCall decides to intervene on Alina's behalf.
And when it comes to the future of their operation, Slavi and company are soon to learn that the decision to get involved in their business is the worst decision McCall could ever make ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST?: Denzel Washington fans; people who like action thrillers with a mix of resolve and conviction to go with their brutal violence; people who like unsung hero flicks
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: Those who don't enjoy brutal violence; non-Denzel Washington fans (hey, some people STILL haven't forgiven him for Heart Condition); those who wanted a British guy to keep it true to the to the spirit of the original TV series.
FINAL VERDICT – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? With the rare exception of a film like Deja Vu, Washington does not make bad film choices. Even if the story seems somewhat standard issue, Washington – especially when paired with director Antoine Fuqua (of Training Day fame), you are not going to get a standard issue action flick.
The Equalizer is the latest example of how Washington and Fuqua can take a seemingly familiar tale and nuance it into a highly entertaining, taut piece of entertainment.
Cool, calm and collected ... While the cliché is easy to equate to many of Washington's performances, The Equalizer finds him adding a fourth "c" to the list to – calculated. For it is the calculation with which McCall operates during the film's well choreographed action sequences that creates such impact during the incredibly violent moments that provide an effective parallel compared to his daily life. In one existence, McCall is thoughtful, peaceful and extremely helpful and offers everyone (both friend and foe) a chance to do the right thing/make the right decision ... But once threatened, McCall is brutal, swift, efficient and downright terrifying. It creates a character who is a perfect dichotomy of eloquence, intelligence and extreme violence; at one hand you see McCall genuinely enjoying the human experience and then in a moment's notice, he is taking lives with hardly a trace of remorse.
Marton Csokas delivers an excellent villain as Teddy, the enforcer of Russian kingpin Vladimir Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich). Acting as mirror image of McCall (except, of course, for the exact opposite reason), he ids a near perfect counterpart to provide the perfect impetus for McCall to not only release his inner fury, but showcase the conviction which drives him. For while he is one of the few heroes in recent memory that is great on his own, Teddy's nature further showcases how great – as both a person and enforcer – McCall really is.
For Washington fans who have been craving the chance to watch him kick ass again with the edge of his beloved Training Day bad guy Det. Alonzo Harris while mixing in the spiritual nature of his Book of Eli titular character, The Equalizer delivers ... With a vengeance.
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: Those who don't enjoy brutal violence; non-Denzel Washington fans (hey, some people STILL haven't forgiven him for Heart Condition); those who wanted a British guy to keep it true to the to the spirit of the original TV series.
FINAL VERDICT – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? With the rare exception of a film like Deja Vu, Washington does not make bad film choices. Even if the story seems somewhat standard issue, Washington – especially when paired with director Antoine Fuqua (of Training Day fame), you are not going to get a standard issue action flick.
The Equalizer is the latest example of how Washington and Fuqua can take a seemingly familiar tale and nuance it into a highly entertaining, taut piece of entertainment.
Cool, calm and collected ... While the cliché is easy to equate to many of Washington's performances, The Equalizer finds him adding a fourth "c" to the list to – calculated. For it is the calculation with which McCall operates during the film's well choreographed action sequences that creates such impact during the incredibly violent moments that provide an effective parallel compared to his daily life. In one existence, McCall is thoughtful, peaceful and extremely helpful and offers everyone (both friend and foe) a chance to do the right thing/make the right decision ... But once threatened, McCall is brutal, swift, efficient and downright terrifying. It creates a character who is a perfect dichotomy of eloquence, intelligence and extreme violence; at one hand you see McCall genuinely enjoying the human experience and then in a moment's notice, he is taking lives with hardly a trace of remorse.
Marton Csokas delivers an excellent villain as Teddy, the enforcer of Russian kingpin Vladimir Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich). Acting as mirror image of McCall (except, of course, for the exact opposite reason), he ids a near perfect counterpart to provide the perfect impetus for McCall to not only release his inner fury, but showcase the conviction which drives him. For while he is one of the few heroes in recent memory that is great on his own, Teddy's nature further showcases how great – as both a person and enforcer – McCall really is.
For Washington fans who have been craving the chance to watch him kick ass again with the edge of his beloved Training Day bad guy Det. Alonzo Harris while mixing in the spiritual nature of his Book of Eli titular character, The Equalizer delivers ... With a vengeance.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
Comments
Post a Comment