This film had potential with such a great cast, but its grotesque violence and weak plot made it poor viewing.
Ex-intelligence officer McCall meets Teri a young girl under the control of violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by—he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, they call the Equalizer.
First off this film’s storyline is weak, for starters it seems “ok”, a retired agent decides to intervene once to save someone under the control of the Russian mob, but in between that major storyline he helps quite a few other people with their problems. He’s supposed to be retired, so why all of a sudden is he taking on so many cases? It’s not justified and doesn’t add to this already long movie!
Secondly the violence in this movie is necessary in some instances, but it is unnecessarily graphic. McCall seems to use all manner of objects around him to injure or kill people, corkscrews, barbed wire and a drill. All of the graphic violence in this film makes it tedious and boring to watch.
The one redeeming feature of this film is its superb cast, Denzel Washington is a brilliant actor and in this film he does a great job with what little he has to work with. Chloë Grace Moretz plays Teri, which surprisingly is a minor role, but she plays it superbly. The supporting cast of this film is also quite strong with standouts being Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo and Johnny Skourtis.
Overall an overly graphic movie with a flimsy plot, but some great performances from the cast.
0.5 of a Star
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Movie screening courtesy of Palace Nova Cinemas