A brutal retelling of a class TV series not that thats a bad thing

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2015)

The Equalizer
When I was a younger boy one of my favourite shows to watch was The Equalizer, Edward Woodward starred ion the 80's TV show which I absolutely loved. Now when I heard it was being remade at first I was pretty excited, all these actors who could I envisioned living up the mastery of Robert McCall, but when I seen Denzel Washington my first thought was WTF! I was horrified, how, and why. Why would they do that, sure Denzel was great in Man on fire and pretty much exactly what a real life Robert McCall would be. So it's taken me a while to sit and watch this one just for the simple fact I wasn't happy with the casting choice and couldn't see justice being carried out. I didn't want my childhood ruined!
Robert McCall is a solitary man, a man who has routines and runs his life by them. Robert McCall also has a secret, one that only the closet to him will ever know. Every night Robert takes his tea bag wrapped in a cotton napkin and walks to his local diner, where he always sits at the same table, always places his book in the same position, always arranges the cutlery the same way, every night without fail he will be there. Over time he has formed a simple relationship with a young Russian singer songwriter who also frequents the diner and has her own secrets. By day Robert works in the local DIY store serving his customers the best he can. One thing you don't want to do though is p#ss Robert off and you really don't want to hurt his friends.
The Equalizer is a brutal film, its hard core no holds barred action sequences will be enough to force a lot of viewers watching the scenes play out through their fingers. Robert McCall is unforgiving he is a character who sizes up a person and a room in matter of seconds. I will admit Denzel Washington (Man on fire, Fallen) who plays Robert McCall was actually great as the man he recreated and I didn't despise him as much as I thought I would, I would even go as far as saying perhaps it's better to watch this remake of the TV series with a fresh set of eyes, Denzel does his best to make Robert McCall his own and really does it well. Antoine Fuqua (Olympus has fallen, Training Day) really has made a name for himself as a director with his own style. As far as action films go I think he has a great eye for detail, he knows what is needed to make the scene perfect, greatest thing going for him is he likes his viewers to see what is going on in the action sequences, something a lot of directors have forgotten. The film also stars Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick A#s, Hugo) as Teri and Marton Csokas who is actually quite unforgettable in his role as Terry.
The Equalizer will leave you wondering at first where it's going as the beginning is quite slow, but once the action picks up it leaves you wanting more. My only critique would be the few plot holes that are very apparent as the film plays out. It's not a game changer as anything can be forgiven if given a chance.