The Equalizer
The Equalizer
(2014)
A Review by Grant Kanigan
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Written by: Richard Wenk, based on Michael Sloan
and Richard Lindheim's TV series
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz,
David Harbour, Martin Csokas
Rating: 14A
Release Date: September 24th, 2014
David Harbour and Denzel Washington in The Equalizer
Denzel Washington is one of the best actors of his generation. Becoming a master of his craft in films like Glory, Malcolm X, Philadelphia, The Siege, Training Day, American Gangster and a plethora of other classics, the man has been doing stellar work for nearly thirty years. Washington, much like Robert DeNiro, has the right to fall back on his reputation when necessary. DeNiro has been making silly comedies for the past decade, (and how can you blame the guy? Who wouldn't want to take a fat paycheque for little work to essentially get paid to hang out with Ben Stiller?). While Washington hasn't quite taken the devil may care attitude that DeNiro has in his later years, he's still been doing work that isn't as challenging as his best roles. The Book of Eli, 2 Guns, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and even Flight were all mediocre at best. Sure, with the help of Washington, they were entertaining and passable enough, but nothing on the level of his best years. Even Washington's commercial film between Training Day and Antwone Fisher, John Q had strong political conviction and a juicy role for Washington to sink his teeth into. When I first heard Washington's latest vehicle was an adaptation of an obscure mid-eighties television show, my first reaction was a cynical roll of the eyes. With nothing else to rent but a ridiculous Nic Cage vs. the Rapture film or mind-numbingly dull adaptation of an Ayn Rand 'novel', I begrudgingly selected Washington's latest. Looks can be deceiving.
Not only is Denzel Washington's latest film more than passable entertainment, it's one of the best action films of the year. The Equalizer begins with Robert McCall, (Denzel Washington), a semi-retired man who spends his days working at a hardware and garden centre and his sleepless nights in a diner, reading Hemingway and Cervantes. Its during one of these nights that he meets a young woman named Teri. Teri, who's existence pretty much amounts to sex slavery, finds her only solace in the tranquil diner, where she gets free pie, courtesy of it's sorrowful owner. When one of Teri's clients gets violent, McCall takes it upon himself to stand up for the helpless young teenager and sets in motion a series of events that lead all the way to the upper echelons of the Russian Mafia.
If this premise sounds familiar, that's because it is. We've seen variations in Taken, Jack Reacher, or The Punisher, yet The Equalizer rises above mere formula through a few important elements. Firstly, and most importantly, the film features the masterful Washington. With a witty script that takes advantage of his clinical obsessive compulsiveness and only reveals what it needs to about McCall, Washington is able to build a realistic hero, fraught with guilt over his past life, (likely as an assassin, but we're never specifically told, neither do we need to know), who is simultaneously trapped by his ethical boundaries and OCD, yet also uses them to his advantage; a scene where Washington analyzes a fight before it happens is delightfully dark. Here, the film crosses over into a cinematic and directorial eye. Through the keen eye of the camera, we're able to literally see McCall's point of view. We see his analytical skills take over, his violent precision and brutal execution of his analyses take place as if they were truly happening in the same room. Yet Fuqua knows that the audience need not be trapped in McCall's perspective the entire runtime. He takes the time to establish the landscape, leaving the audience with breathtaking shots of the Bostonian cityscape. It's this skill as a director, coupled with an intelligent script, bolstered by the talents of Washington that make The Equalizer a winner.
One of The Equalizer's most skilful attributes comes from the aforementioned willingness to subvert genre expectations. McCall's platonic, fatherly protection of Teri is reminiscent of Taken, Teri's plight is much like Jodie Foster's in Taxi Driver, and McCall's execution of his moral code over his enemies' lack thereof is much like The Punisher. However, with the unique characteristics of McCall, the beautiful cinematography and a fantastic cast, (cameos by Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman add important weight to their short lived but extremely important characters), make The Equalizer a unique entity in and of itself. Add in a foil void of morals, (played by the menacingly blunt Marton Csokas), to McCall's morally driven character and you have a pillar of the genre.
Every time Washinton and Fuqua have teamed up, they both outshine themselves. While Fuqua is an okay director sans Washington, (Shooter, Olympus Has Fallen and Tears of the Sun were all at least watchable), he becomes a different beast with Washington. Training Day, their last collaborative effort, was a searing, brutal and important film about crime and law enforcement in LA. The Equalizer is a fantastic genre subversion that also pays homage to it's predecessors. Much like The Fugitive was able to overcome it's roots in television, the cinematic Equalizer is a similarly fantastic action thriller that takes it's time to build up to it's inevitable carnage. In closing, Fuqua and Washington work together fantastically, and the Equalizer leaves itself open for a sequel. Here's hoping the two can team up again.
Grant's Rating: 4/5 Stars
Denzel Washington and Marton Csokas in The Equalizer: "Make an Exception"
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