Expected Better! 5/10

Rating: 5/10 (8 February 2015)

Review: I had high expectations for this movie because I used to watch the series and Denzel usually makes some good movies, but I was quite disappointed with the outcome. It takes ages to get going and I'm getting a bit fed up with these directors casting Eastern Europeans as gangsters. On top of that, I found the movie predictable and the characters weren't that interesting. I did stick with the 2 hour film because I wanted to see the big showdown at the end, which was average, and I still was hoping for something amazing to happen, which it didn't. Denzel Washington just seemed to be in a mood all the way through the movie, except for when he was doing his Pips shuffle, and the action scenes were average. The girl that caused Denzel to switch to a murdering assassin goes missing for most of the movie, which was a bit weird, and you don't really find out much about his past which would have drawn you to his character. Anyway, its a watchable movie, just because of Washington's performance, but it wasn't that great. Average!
Round-Up: This is no way like the TV series because you really don't expect Edward Woodward to be a assassin. The director did try to use the same concept with Washington by making him a humble shop manager but after seeing him kick ass in movies like Training Day, Man On Fire and 2 Guns, it's really not that surprising that he can take out a lot of gangsters, by hand, after working out his moves strategically, in a Sherlock Holmes type of way. I did get fed up with the slow motion shots, like when he blows up the building and appears through smoke and the whole killing loads of baddies by hand concept seemed a bit unrealistic, but you can't help rooting for the Denzel, because he's fighting for justice!
Budget: $55million Worldwide Gross: $192million
I recommend this movie to people who are into their action/thrillers about a everyday man who turns vigilante after his friend gets beaten up. 5/10