Nothing special, but it certainly delivers

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2014)

Denzel Washington launches a one man war on the Russian Mafia. Sign me up! This adaptation of the 80s TV show stars Washington as a retired black ops operative who puts the skills from his old life into action when he witnesses a prostitute he has had conversations with getting beaten and throughout the film works his way through the Russian mafia. This delivers exactly was it says on the tin and is a good, well made action movie although you'll forget in a week. Starting with the negatives. If you want to see this because you're a fan of Chloe Grace Moretz, don't bother since she's in the film for maybe 15 minutes. She's completely wasted and as she's the emotional core of a very brutal and action packed film, this was a mysterious decision. There is a sense of mean spiritedness throughout, and the violence, which at times feels like a Saw movie, often feels forced and unnecessary. The film is too long and dips from time to time in the middle, and for some reason there's an unnecessary side-plot with Denzel trying to help a friend lose weight on a regime. Um, this isn't Training Day.
This is a fairly formulaic movie and one which goes the motions and lacks a sense of humanity, but it is better than you might expect. Antoine Fuqua proves himself once again a skilled director who knows how to build tension, and Denzel Washington is excellent as the main character. Chloe Grace Moretz, while totally wasted, shines in her fleeting moments of screen time. The film refuses to go into generic shootouts and fist fights, and instead moves from one old school suspenseful set piece to another. There are some interesting themes of justice, so the film does actually have a quiet power and Denzel Washington's character, although not given all that much back story, gives the film some emotion. The finale is a cut above the rest of the movie and genuinely excellent, meaning I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is quite an interesting and slightly different movie, which has some appreciated (Although really not a lot of) depth. The premise and marketing say it's Denzel Washington taking out the whole Russian gangster community in Boston. That's what we were promised. That's what we get.
6/10