good start but fight in Home Depot disappoints

Rating: 6/10 (6 March 2015)

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has a mysterious past and is trying to live the quiet life working at a Boston home improvement box store. He helps his co-worker Ralphie lose weight to get the security guard job. He's friendly with street walker Teri/Alina (Chloë Grace Moretz) whom he often meets as he reads at a local diner. She ends up in the hospital after getting severely beaten up by her pimp Slavi. He tries to buy her freedom but ends up killing everybody. Violent Russian gangsters come looking for payback.
This starts well even with the cliché-filled script. Denzel can pull it off. Chloe is the innocent and he's the knight in shining armor. The problem starts when Chloe disappears after the first act. I expected her to be the second star and she deserves to be. She's good in this movie but it is strictly a solo act. The great brutal violence in Slavi's office is the highlight. The action slowly turns more and more cartoonish. Director Antoine Fuqua has made some great gritty action. I wish he brought a bit more 'Training Day'. Unfortunately, the last battle in the Home Mart reminds me too much of 'Home Alone'. There is something compelling about not showing what happened with the hammer. That's a great scene. It's a little more silly to see all the improvised traps in the store.