Equal violence for all
The Equalizer 2 (15)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Director: Antoine Fuqua
The Plot: Following the events of The Equalizer, former marine and DIA agent Robert McCall (Washington) now lives in Boston working part time as a Lyft driver, where he continues his solitary life of reading books while using his considerable combat skills to help innocent people, anonymously. When his friend Susan Plummer (Leo) is murdered in Brussels while investigating the death of another agent, McCall turns to Susan's second-in-command - and his former friend - Dave York (Pascal) to help find the killer. When the people responsible are revealed to be those McCall trusted, he sets out to get revenge for his fallen friend . . . with violent results.
Check out the trailer for the film here.
Review: The first Equalizer was an excellent - if overlong - film that added another great character to Denzel Washington's list of portrayals with the vigilante Robert McCall. The lethal ghost who helped the innocent while mourning the loss of his wife, alone, was well-received by audiences and must have struck a chord with Washington himself because interestingly, this is the first time ever in his career that the actor has reprised the role of a character in a sequel. Director Antoine Fuqua returns, as does writer Richard Wenk and original cast members Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman (Chloë Grace Moretz doesn't feature, her character's story was concluded at the end of the first film). So is our second outing with Robert McCall as good as the first one? The answer, unfortunately, is not really.
Now, if you enjoyed the first Equalizer you're going to find a lot to like here, as rather than drastically shake things up the film instead plays it safe and acts more as a continuation of the first one. As such, we get a lot of action sequences that are brutally violent - which I love - and show off McCall's skills, characteristically checking his watch to time himself as he dispatches numerous opponents. The film begins with an excellent sequence aboard a train where a disguised McCall rescues a kidnapped child, taking out several thugs with ease, and moments like these continue throughout the film while the level of violence increases. The whole thing looks great too - Fuqua has a real eye for the visuals, and the film's climactic cat-and-mouse sequence that takes place within a small coastal town that's being battered by a fierce storm is terrific. Added to this a typically good performance from Washington, which is exactly what you'd expect for an actor of his talent returning to a role he's already played once before. He handles the action and intense scenes really well, and this time around he's allowed to show a bit more emotion from McCall as he grieves for his lost friend while also revealing a bit more about his late wife.
The negatives all come from the script. Like the first Equalizer, the film is way too long - it clocks in at just over two hours, and it definitely could have been trimmed down without losing any impact on McCall's actions or his drive for revenge. It also attempts to weave a number of subplots throughout, in addition to the main story thread of McCall seeking revenge for Susan's death. Of these the most successful is the one involving a young artist named Miles (played by Ashton Sanders) who McCall takes a liking to, and attempts to help him steer clear of a life with a local gang, but this thread could again have been trimmed a bit without losing any impact. The biggest issue, however, is the lack of any real threat to be found. While it was really cool in the first film to see McCall go unchallenged, I was hoping that in the sequel he'd get an opponent/opponents that would really test him. When the villains of the piece are revealed (and you'll see the main one coming from a mile away), it's clear that they're not on his level at all and so it comes as no surprise when he dispatches them - albeit brutally and stylishly - with ease. It's a shame, as while it maintains that badass aspect to his character, the film would have worked so much better if he'd had to face a real challenge.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A decent second outing for Denzel Washington as this popular character, that features terrific action sequences and the same brutal violence as the first, coupled with a typically good performance from Washington. It's let down by a lack of real threat from its villains, an overly long run time and an attempt to cram in too many subplots. Fans of the first film will find lots to enjoy here, but if we do see a third Equalizer in the future I hope it'll be one that gives the character more of a challenge.
Check out the trailer for the film here.
Review: The first Equalizer was an excellent - if overlong - film that added another great character to Denzel Washington's list of portrayals with the vigilante Robert McCall. The lethal ghost who helped the innocent while mourning the loss of his wife, alone, was well-received by audiences and must have struck a chord with Washington himself because interestingly, this is the first time ever in his career that the actor has reprised the role of a character in a sequel. Director Antoine Fuqua returns, as does writer Richard Wenk and original cast members Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman (Chloë Grace Moretz doesn't feature, her character's story was concluded at the end of the first film). So is our second outing with Robert McCall as good as the first one? The answer, unfortunately, is not really.
Now, if you enjoyed the first Equalizer you're going to find a lot to like here, as rather than drastically shake things up the film instead plays it safe and acts more as a continuation of the first one. As such, we get a lot of action sequences that are brutally violent - which I love - and show off McCall's skills, characteristically checking his watch to time himself as he dispatches numerous opponents. The film begins with an excellent sequence aboard a train where a disguised McCall rescues a kidnapped child, taking out several thugs with ease, and moments like these continue throughout the film while the level of violence increases. The whole thing looks great too - Fuqua has a real eye for the visuals, and the film's climactic cat-and-mouse sequence that takes place within a small coastal town that's being battered by a fierce storm is terrific. Added to this a typically good performance from Washington, which is exactly what you'd expect for an actor of his talent returning to a role he's already played once before. He handles the action and intense scenes really well, and this time around he's allowed to show a bit more emotion from McCall as he grieves for his lost friend while also revealing a bit more about his late wife.
The negatives all come from the script. Like the first Equalizer, the film is way too long - it clocks in at just over two hours, and it definitely could have been trimmed down without losing any impact on McCall's actions or his drive for revenge. It also attempts to weave a number of subplots throughout, in addition to the main story thread of McCall seeking revenge for Susan's death. Of these the most successful is the one involving a young artist named Miles (played by Ashton Sanders) who McCall takes a liking to, and attempts to help him steer clear of a life with a local gang, but this thread could again have been trimmed a bit without losing any impact. The biggest issue, however, is the lack of any real threat to be found. While it was really cool in the first film to see McCall go unchallenged, I was hoping that in the sequel he'd get an opponent/opponents that would really test him. When the villains of the piece are revealed (and you'll see the main one coming from a mile away), it's clear that they're not on his level at all and so it comes as no surprise when he dispatches them - albeit brutally and stylishly - with ease. It's a shame, as while it maintains that badass aspect to his character, the film would have worked so much better if he'd had to face a real challenge.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A decent second outing for Denzel Washington as this popular character, that features terrific action sequences and the same brutal violence as the first, coupled with a typically good performance from Washington. It's let down by a lack of real threat from its villains, an overly long run time and an attempt to cram in too many subplots. Fans of the first film will find lots to enjoy here, but if we do see a third Equalizer in the future I hope it'll be one that gives the character more of a challenge.
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