The long-awaited blockbuster, finally, arrived and it is in cinemas now. And, oh boy, The Equaliser, starring the legendary Denzel Washington, is one heck of a movie. Based on the 80s TV series of the same name, Denzel, here, takes his stealth vigilante as seriously as he does his previous Oscar nominated performances. It is an action-thriller and Denzel, starring as Robert McCall, was at it again.
He lives a low-profile Spartan-like solo existence as a clerk at a Boston area Home Depot-like emporium. He is loved by his co-workers and often times, he offers guidance. They treat him with respect, something you would expect because at 59, Denzel is like a fatherly figure to many. And it comes to fore in The Equaliser as well. Later on, insomnia will kick in. To curb it down, he sips tea, in the night, while reading classics (including ‘The Old Man and the Sea,’ ‘Don Quixote’ and ‘The Invisible Man’ titles) in an all-night diner where he would later meet an underage hooker named Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz). She waits for a Russian pimp from this diner. She would pitch up with a black eye, but her friend, McCall, would offer a walk home.
The director, Antoine Fuqua, has a way of making his audience glued onto their seat. Twists are taken. And it becomes a cat-and-mouse chase when the little girl is thumped to cabbages by Russian Mafiosos rendering her to go in comma. McCall has a depthless heart; so, he eases himself, silently, at the hospital to visit her. And he looked peeved, clearly. He looks disillusioned and disappointed, and utterly angered by the deed. His insomnia-laded life turns into a gruesome pick-and-play game of cards as he hunts down the Russians. He slits jugulars. He is fast in this, something renowned of Denzel. He was at it in Man of Fire with Dakota Fanning. And he is at again in The Equaliser.
He won’t stifle a grin, no. He has a stern face. A face of a wounded man out to clear the city of bad businesses. He seeks justice, but he calls it peace. He hardly bats his eyelids because his eyes are piercing and deadly and when he dares the Russian Mafioso to say what he sees in his eyes, the Russian mutes because he sees nothing but anguish and, of course, death. Mr. McCall is intelligent and crisp smart. See, he has been dared and forced out of retirement. Here, it is poetic justice. His head is needed by a Russian gang leader, Pushkin, and vice versa. The Mafiosos comb his little place and, in turn, he combs them with sheer smartness and with his quick hands. Their necks are tilted at a fast-speed. He wears a timepiece and he fancies to time himself; he loves seconds, it seems. And in micro-blogging seconds, he will clear the place with terrific speed. He won’t stop till the last man-Pushkin.
The crime-peppered city is cleared of the bad deeds and after Mr. McCall kills the gang leader based in Moscow, he eases back to his normal life. Trotting on the streets in his iconic limp with the sun full in his face. Peace is restored, at least to him. And the city, of course. This film acts as an origin story with an ending that suggests a new franchise is afoot. It might not be bad for Washington to stay in the action in a series at the least acknowledges those who qualify for a senior discount can be crusaders, too.
Reviewed by Nimusiima
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