The Equalizer ** (2014, Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz) – Movie Review

In this dour and ultra-violent action thriller, Denzel Washington plays the mysterious Robert McCall, a widowed Boston retired Special Forces officer, who spends his days in a humdrum job in a home improvement store and his nights at a diner. There he meets troubled young abused prostitute Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), prompting him to start a new life as an avenging angel, or in other words, violent vigilante. He’s a superhero, with no special superhero powers.

The mystery is soon solved. McCall proves to be the reincarnation of Charles Bronson in Death Wish, and starts his 70s-style vengeance trail with taking down the evil generic Russian gangster scumbags who control Teri so nastily. Yes he wants to save little Teri, but then after that it’s not ‘justice’ that McCall wants, it’s vengeance. Lovely!

Reunited with Antoine Fuqua, his director on Training Day, Washington can do little to invigorate, or bring any personality to, a totally generic action thriller, memorable only for its extremely nasty and gory deaths meted out by old Denzel. Mmm, death by corkscrew, not very nice! He does kill an awful lot of guys in a long movie, though it’s of note that he doesn’t fire guns. It doesn’t make it any better, but it is of note.

Controversially, Moretz has spoken out in favour of the use of firearms in movies. She said of Kiss-Ass 2: ‘It’s a movie. If you are going to believe and be affected by an action film, you shouldn’t go see Pocahontas because you are going to think you are a Disney princess. If you are that easily swayed, you might see The Silence of the Lambs and think you are a serial killer. It’s a movie and it’s fake, and I’ve known that since I was a kid … I don’t want to run around trying to kill people and cuss. If anything, these movies teach you what not to do.’

With McCall having no family, no character deficiencies (he’s a superhero!) and no personal stake in his avenging thing, Bronson’s one-man vigilante squad Paul Kersey seems a sensible and sympathetic character compared to McCall, who does it just because he can. The Russians are convenient scum to kill these days, so, as you can hear at the script conference, let’s go for it guys! Take the Russkies down!

[Spoiler alert] The only people in McCall’s life are Teri, who soon disappears from the film after he saves her (though in real life the Russian gangsters would have found her and zilched her). This is especially annoying as Washington and Moretz were just starting up a nice double act together. There are definite echoes of Jodie Foster’s child prostitute character Iris in Taxi Driver in Moretz’s character. The other person in McCall’s life is his co-worker, a fat security guard, whom he helps to stay off candy to win his promotion. That’s it for bringing any personality or distinctive touches to the movie.

Fans of gratuitous violence are well taken care off. This is an unpleasant movie that does nothing for racial harmony or good karma. It’s surprising that Washington has gotten himself into something quite as ordinary and basic and nasty as this, and it’s also a surprise that Fuqua is involved, and, as he is, can’t do much to make it distinctive in any way. The action is mostly poorly staged, especially the despatching of the main villain, in a fumbled, generic climax.

[Spoiler alert] In the tedious, sentimental post-climax sequence, the movie elaborately sets up a sequel, indeed a series. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen.

Moretz may notice that the film is rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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