In theatres now

The Equalizer is based on a TV show from the ‘80s starring Edward Woodward. I’ve never seen that show, so I can’t vouch for how faithful the new film adaptation is to the series. All I can attest to is how well 2014’s The Equalizer works as a film. That is to say, not very well at all.

This Equalizer stars Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a middle-aged widower working in the stockroom of a hardware store. He lives a lonely existence, and he’s coy about his past. Director Antoine Fuqua thinks that coyness is reason enough for the audience to accept that Robert is actually not the timid shelf-stocker, but a finely tuned killing machine and some sort of retired super soldier.

Robert discovers that Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teenage girl who frequents the same diner as him, is being forced to work as a prostitute for the Russian mob. Thus, it’s time for Robert to come out of retirement. 

I have a problem with movies that exploit sexual violence to manipulate their audiences. In Equalizer, the villains’ involvement in sex slavery is purely a tool of manipulation. Fuqua touches a raw nerve with the audience by showing sickening and immoral acts, rather than working to make the audience feel something. Their depiction here isn’t narratively justified. It’s exploitative and lazy.

This whole film feels like a shallow attempt at giving Washington the Liam Neeson treatment. You know, take a respected, middle-aged dramatic actor and turn him into an action star. I’m not saying Denzel can’t pull it off, but this ham-fisted, humourless movie isn’t the one that’ll do it. From the clichéd dialogue to the weak villains (who border on racist Russian caricatures), The Equalizer is a dumb, predictable slog.

Published in Volume 69, Number 5 of The Uniter (October 1, 2014)