If you are still grieving from the completion of the 12 episode “24” this season, “The Equilizer” will give you a big lift. It’s essentially a two hour 24 episode with Denzel Washington playing the Jack Bauer role. Denzel, being the consummate actor that he is, brings a depth and subtlety to the role that Kiefer can’t touch. Denzel is now 59 and perhaps a bit too old for the part but it really doesn’t matter.
Robert McCall (Denzel) is living an isolated and lonely life. He lives by himself and works at a Home Depot. He eats dinner at an all night diner and has a casual friendship with an under age prostitute (Teri-Chloe Grace Moretz) who eats dinner there between tricks.
Teri’s pimp is a member of a group of Russian thugs. After Teri balks at servicing a gross and physically abusive customer, in order to teach her a lesson, her pimp nearly beats her to death.
McCall decides to intervene on Teri’s behalf and tries to talk the pimp into letting her go but the pimp and his cronies are adamant about maintaining the status quo.
McCall has unique skills which learned in his prior life as a covert operative which he utilizes to free Teri. Unfortunately, this group is connected to the Russian mafia who quickly dispatch a top notch assassin (Teddy-Martin Coskas) whose mission is to discover the identity of the man who attacked his group and then take him out. Teddy also has many other well trained killers at his disposal.
Has McCall bitten off more than he can chew with his vigilante justice?
There is one great action scene after another but beware this is a very violent movie. You won’t think about the film once you leave the theater but it’s great entertainment.
It will work fine as a rental but if you like 24 I’d see it now.
Rating-8.0
Dave
