The Equalizer- Film Review

The Equalizer- film Review

The Equalizer is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz and Marton Csokas. The film is about Robert McCall played by Washington who is an ex-special forces soldier who lives alone, and he befriend a young woman named Teri played by Moretz, but when she is assaulted by a member of the Russian Mafia, McCall takes the law into his own hands a get equal and kill the people involved. This film is very similar to John Wick in some aspects such as ex solider or hitman who is forced out of retirement out for one last mission because an event that has occurred, and the main character with a particular set of skills and we get to see them kill some antagonists. The Equalizer is particularly interesting because it is based on BBC television show that was on air on the 1970’s and this film has a lot to discuss with this film.

The first aspect of this film is that the performances are excellent, Washington is excellent as the main character Robert McCall. Washington is excellent in every film and his performance in this film makes the audience understand that this is a character who is very isolated, the character lives alone and that he reads a lot of books and that the character has OCD. This is character which the audience can invest because he is a character who has a shady past but he knows when he should do the correct thing. Chloe Grace Moretz is also excellent in this film, she is an actress which is good in most of her roles, she portrays a character which is young but she understands that the world is dark and dangerous place and all she is trying to is survive each day. Chloe Grace Moretz is very good because the audience can emphasize with her character, and her character is easier to sympathise with compared to McCall because the filmmakers have made sure that is a character everyone can understand. Marton Csokas plays the antagonist in this film, he plays Teddy a character employed by the Mafia to kill McCall, and while he has had small roles in other films such as The Bourne Supremacy, in this film the way he portrays his character is excellent, the audience can understand that this is character that is just doing his job. All the performances in this film are excellent and there is not one performance that lets this film down and this is by far one of the strongest aspects of the film.

Another strong aspect of this film would be that the action is good, the action is clear and easy to follow with the editing that makes this possible. Fuqua is a director that knowns how to make an action sequence easy to follow but very entertaining to watch at the same time. The action sequences are not edited like other action films and this means that the audience can understand what is happening and the audience has enough time to register what the characters are doing. One of the best action sequences in this film would be the first action sequence that is shown, the action is shot in slow motion and it is filmed to show where the antagonists are from the protagonist perspective and this is something which has been directed so that it is easier to follow. The action is like the first Mission: Impossible film and this is because during the action sequences the main protagonist doesn’t use a gun during the action sequences and this is because this gives the main protagonist more of a challenge and this is done well. The action is good, and while it is always clear and understandable while being entertaining the films action sequences are nothing special and the action doesn’t stand out compared to other action films within the genre and this is only a small complaint about the action sequence and this is could have done better.

The direction is excellent and this is where Fuqua stands out compared to other director, he can make competently put together films, every film has been filmed and directed very well and an example of this would be that he understands where to place his camera while making an action sequence and this is something that an experienced director understands when making an action film. Another aspect of his film that stands out compared to other films is the sounds, when Fuqua directs an action sequence he takes the sound and empathizes the sound which makes the impact of every hit and kick more intense and more impactful, this is something which not many other directors do, but Fuqua is very talented when it comes to making action films. There are some other good things about this film, an example would be that the cinematography is excellent there is not one bad looking shot in this film because everything about the technical aspects of this film is excellent. The film explores the relationship between McCall and Teri very well, and this is something which is explored in great detail so that the audience understands why McCall goes after the Russian Mafia.

However, there are some negative aspects about this film and the first thing is that the script is not very well written, during the second act McCall finds the person that is responsible for attacking Teri. McCall enters the area and we get an action sequence and the main character kills the antagonist but the film carries on, and this is where the audience get introduced to another antagonist and it seems to be more confusing. Unlike John Wick where the antagonists are established this film decides to introduce someone else. There are more issues such as the pacing is not exactly the strongest because there is some action that happens but then the main character doesn’t get involved in anymore action until the finale of the film. They could have added more action to the film and this would have meant that the pacing would have been more natural. But the biggest issue with this film would be that it is unclear why the main character gets involved in the action, they develop the relationship between McCall and Teri but the relationship is not developed enough and therefore the audience doesn’t understand why he get involved.

Conclusion

While not the strongest Fuqua film, this film does provide some entertaining action sequence and the characters are given enough time to develop, the main issue that The Equalizer has is that the script brings issues and because of this some of the character motivations aren’t very clear to understand and this is something which could have been addressed, but this is a fun two-hour entertaining action thriller and is definitely worth the watch of you have the spare time.

Rating: 7/10.