The Old Man's Gotta Be The Old Man; The Fish Gotta Be The Fish...

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2017)

This is not the Robert McCall I grew up watching and that isn't a bad thing. I like the idea that writer Richard Wenk and director Antoine Fuqua reenvisioned the 1980's character for the modern era. As always Denzel Washington is superb and brings a new dimension to the character of The Equalizer.
Robert McCall is a warehouse worker in a D I Y retail store who at work helps his fellow employees, though out of work he's a solitary character with a habitual routine that verges on obsessive compulsive disorder. Each night he goes to the same diner and sits at the same table and orders a cup of water, into which he drops a teabag. While there he reads a book, he's on number 97 of the top 100 books to read before you die. He has a conversational relationship with one of the prostitutes that use the diner as a way station. This relationship becomes stronger and when she comes in battered and bruised McCall takes it upon himself to help her out...
From here on in you begin to learn of McCall's secret past as the action and violence amps up. McCall is a dark man who keeps his feelings in check though you never get to find out what makes him such a cold and logical executioner. This may be because there are more works in the pipeline, I hope so as this was an enjoyable movie.
The only irksome element of the story and movie is the relationship between McCall and the prostitute Teri, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. As I previously stated, their relationship takes on an extra vitality. However, when she's hospitalised, he goes to the hospital though never makes contact and this is the last we see of her until the end; and this appears to have been an afterthought to give McCall a more humanistic presence. I think if the characters had more scenes together throughout the movie this could have help to detract from McCall's cold robotic personality. Maybe this wasn't the director's vision.
There's nothing in this film that hasn't been covered in other movies but that doesn't stop this from being an entertaining 132 minutes; It kept my attention so well that it really doesn't seem that long a film.
If you enjoyed the series, or like action films, or love Denzel Washington (or all three), then this film will be right up your street.