The Equalizer

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Martin Csokas and Denzel Washington play perfect adversaries in The Equalizer.

The Equalizer is just an R-rated Taken with Denzel Washington that, frankly, isn't as good. It has some well-executed moments and, what I would argue to be, one awards-worthy performance. But The Equalizer felt empty at times, and the movie's hits don't always make up for its misses.

Denzel Washington plays Robert "Bob" McCall, a hardware store manager who isn't very open about his past. The movie sets him up as an all-around good guy. He's overly friendly to his staff, volunteers his time to help a co-worker meet his goal of becoming a security guard, and befriends and life-coaches a young Russian-American prostitute named Alina (Chloë Grace Moretz). After Alina's pimps beats her up to make an example of her, Bob tries to buy her out, but her boss won't hear of it. In retaliation, Bob kills them all using his particular set of skills. His actions lead to the head of the Russian mob sending ruthless hitman Teddy (Martin Csokas) to even the score with McCall. McCall spends the rest of the film responding to each threat in an increasingly violent way.

The movie tries to sell an inventive approach, and overall, is enjoyable. Washington and Moretz, as expected, continue to impress with their acting abilities, and in their early scenes together, showcase a unique on-screen chemistry together. Bob's range of weapons throughout the movie varies from a shot glass, to a corkscrew, to a barbed wire noose, and a few others that I'll save for your soon-to-be-bewildered eyes. The movie's style definitely has its appeal, but the real reason to go see The Equalizer is to see Csokas's performance as Teddy.

Teddy is one of the most interesting and complex characters I've seen in an action movie, and Csokas grasps his inner insanity flawlessly. In one of the most suspenseful scenes of the year, he builds up a prostitute's murder in a room full of killing opportunities, finally taking her in the way you'd at first least suspect. He plays off as Robert's perfect adversary, which Robert himself acknowledges. Both seem to have the contradiction of complimentary compulsiveness and methodology. Robert is aware of this trait and even shows remorse after killing four hardened criminals. Teddy embraces it, making him all the more terrifying. If anything in this movie is worth noting, it's the perfectly matched minds of these two men.

Sometimes the movie gets lost in its style, especially in its second half. Alina basically disappears until the final scene, which even though partially makes sense storywise, was a bit of a letdown seeing as she was the whole reason the movie's conflict started. Towards the end, you might ask yourself who Robert really is and what the true secret of his past exactly was, because even though it's hinted at, it's never explicitly stated. You might wonder why he blows up a giant boat aside from the special effects show that follows. You might wonder precisely he's fighting for after a certain point and why and how he got himself so deep into the conflict. And most importantly, you might be wondering why he's even called the equalizer, since no one even refers to him as that in the movie.

The Equalizer is good by modern-day action movie standards, but I'd gladly take Die Hard or Air Force One over this any day. Its style kept my attention mostly focused, but with its countless subplots and lack of clear direction, it was easy to lose interest, and had it not been for the characters and their portrayers, it would've been a lot easier.

Rating: 3/5