Great Paced Action Film

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2015)

The Equalizer (2014). Better yet, fill the empty box with Denzel Washington – secure in his position, coolly cranking out box office hits – then dress it up a bit so it looks like it's about a few halfway relevant things, or even just one thing, or even just half of a thing. And if that half of a thing is Denzel Washington fighting the faces off of bad dudes with lumber and drills and his bare hands, then that's a good enough half of a thing.
Washington is Robert McCall, a Boston man with a mysterious past. He lives quietly and works at a Home Depot-style store called "Home Mart." He's an insomniac, spending his nights reading classic literature in a 24-hour diner so Edward Hopper-ish that it might as well be named "Nighthawks." He reads The Old Man and The Sea. He reads Don Quixote. These titles are meant to convey the shape of his soul and the deeper themes a different film might explore. Aim well, movie; fill that box. As for a rewatch (02/25/17') this film is definitely more slower paced than one remembers. The action is there and far out within each other, and Denzel is great in this role. The Equalizer being compared to John Wick is quite accurate, both very similar films in tone and story. The Equalizer is still a solid slower paced action film.