A man believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and has dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her.
Though overstretched and a trifle ponderous, this is a solidly acceptable star vehicle with more than enough righteous vengeance for an evening of classy thrills.
Washington is an effective killing machine: a Dirty Harry with a Death Wish. Fuqua expertly cranks up the tension, while conveniently overlooking any pesky moral issues that McCall's behaviour raises. It’s about as subtle as a bulldozer.
Denzel Washington has chops to burn but a promising first act degenerates into generic action with more spills than thrills.
No great shakes but not a complete dud, this is relatively superior by-the-till DVD fodder. Faint praise, indeed.
Washington is as watchable as ever, and it’s stylishly directed by his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, but unlike the TV show further instalments would not be welcome.
The plotting makes no sense whatsoever, but you can’t help but admire the ingenuity with which Fuqua uses the implements in the DIY store (everything from wire meshing to garden furniture) in the very violent, very stylish final-reel shoot-out.
here is something deeply ugly and crass in director Antoine Fuqua’s fatuous drama-thriller.
Heaven knows what Edward Woodward would have made of it, but personally I’ll take this over A Walk Among the Tombstones any day.
Ferociously overdirected, The Equalizer is held together by Washington’s charisma, but it’s still a clunker with no sense of balance.
Getting even has rarely been so dull.
Denzel Washington on Equalizer: 'We had Navy Seals train us'
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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