The Equalizer - one man CAN make a difference

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2014)

Trying to live a quiet life, Robert - Bob - McCall realises that he cannot simply sit idly by and let bad things happen to people he knows don't deserve it.
The premise is nothing new. In fact, I had seen most if not all of the series from the late eighties of the same name and wondered how Denzel Washington could possibly have been cast in the part of Robert McCall, a part formerly inhabited by the late Edward Woodward.
Don't get me wrong, I think Denzel is a fine actor and thoroughly enjoyed other movies I've seen of his, but somehow, I just couldn't get the image of Woodward out of my mind when thinking of The Equalizer.
So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch this movie that boasted a running time of over two hours.
The beginning was slow and I wondered whether it was worth it. This Robert McCall seemed no more than an assistant in a DIY store who enjoyed reading, slept little and drank tea.
Wasn't he?
Apparently not.
When a young girl he'd befriended in the all-night café he frequented is badly beaten by Russian mobsters, McCall decides it's time he did something about it, opening a can of worms even he wasn't expecting.
From mild-mannered assistant, McCall suddenly becomes someone who proves he will go to quite extraordinary lengths to get the job done, standing up for the little guy - or girl - whoever happened to be benefiting from his help at the time.
Despite its fairly pedestrian start, this movie is a real roller-coaster of action and tension. There's no shortage of violence, much of which is bloody and brutal, but I believe it's necessary. No-one crossing the mob - whichever nationality they may be - would get away with a stern talking to or a slapped wrist.
It's difficult to go deeper into the why's and wherefores of this movie without giving the game away and while I have checked the box marked "Contains Spoilers", I will not go any further with the plot or the contents. Let's just say, it's another stellar performance from Washington with brilliant support, slick camera work and an excellent plot, one which Woodward himself would have been proud of.