Even the odds

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2014)

The Equalizer television series was an unlikely hit. It featured an old British actor playing a tough guy retired CIA operative who rights wrongs and not afraid to use violence.
The film has little relation to the television show apart from the title and the character name who is also an ex CIA operative. Denzel Washington is actually several years older than Edward Woodward when he first played the title role.
Antoine Fuqua who directed Denzel to a Best Actor Oscar teams up with him again. The film starts slowly, we see McCall working for a Home Depot type warehouse, helping his fellow workers and spending his evening in a diner reading a book. However the fate of a Russian call girl makes him angry and hell bent on equalizing the score with her gangster pimps. However their overlord sends a dangerous Russian hit-man over to find out who is responsible and when he crosses McCall's path he knows he was the culprit and sets out to get him.
The film starts off slowly, maybe too slowly. People forget Denzel is not an action star, he has made several action films in the past and rather a few have disappointed. For every Man on Fire there is a Virtuosity.
However when Denzel gets into action its brutal and blood-soaked as he uses the tools he has at hand, rather handy when he works at a hardware warehouse. Martin Csokas plays a fine gangster, lean, smart, suited and brutal. You look forward to his showdown with Denzel which also has shades of Home Alone.
It is ultimately an OK film, nothing outstanding, maybe slightly overlong and within a few days easily forgotten.