By the numbers, generic paycheck film for all involved

Rating: 4/10 (15 December 2014)

Denzel Washington brings nothing but his availability to show up and sleepwalk through filming, playing a character that requires practically nothing from the man but look serious. This is a step up in craft from director Antoine Fuqua's previous film, the sloppy Olympus Has Fallen, but despite being competently made, The Equalizer feels like lazy paycheck work. There's nothing that you haven't seen a million times before here and the generic story unfolds without so much as a single surprise - this is by the numbers stuff. It's not a chore to sit through, which is about the highest compliment I can give it, but the second any character is introduced, you know exactly how they will be used in the plot and their fate - they are either simply good or bad, no development beyond that. Add to that a horribly miscast Chloë Grace Moretz. Despite an ending you can see 10 minutes into its bloated 132 minute running time, a tacked on set up for a future franchise of more vigilantism feels forced and undeserving. Can't wait for his next adventure against a group of ethnic clichés, who wronged a hapless girl, while he's trying to make good at a dead end job.