The Equalizer (Film Review)

2014 Sony Pictures
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua; Written by: Richard Wenk
Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, and Melissa Leo
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 132 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

The aging Robert McCall spends his days working at a hardware megastore and giving wise advice to his co-workers, while his nights are spent reading at a diner and making friendly small talk with Teri, a kind young prostitute who is trying to change careers. This quiet life is shattered when Teri is nearly beaten to death by her violent Russian pimp. Robert offers a deal to the pimp to set Teri free, but the arrogant pimp declines. Bad idea. Turns out Robert wasn't always a hardware store employee...and he's far more dangerous than a mob-connected pimp...or the mob itself.
Denzel Washington's career has worked in curious parallel to Liam Neeson's. Like the aging Irish actor, Washington has had a critically heralded career. Like Neeson, as Washington's reached his 50's and 60's he's suddenly morphed into a very bankable, highly believable action star. The Equalizer is an excellent vehicle for Washington's action hero bravado. He's able to exude a tremendous amount of menace with just a slight change in body language. His character here pulls out a stopwatch before taking down his foes, adding an even more enigmatic air to his violent prowess. However, Washington is just as believable as the kindly uncle figure he portrays in the first half of the film before he starts mowing down every bad guy in town.
Antoine Fuqua directed Washington straight to an Oscar in 2001's The Equalizer, and while The Equalizer isn't going to win any awards, its pulpy thrills are rousingly fun. Fuqua knows his way around an action sequence, and brings just the right tone to the film. The pacing is a little inconsistent and would be aided with 10 minutes excised, and the plot takes some overly large leaps once Denzel starts taking action on multiple people's behalves, but I had a lot of fun with this violent, slightly trashy flick, and I'm ready for a sequel. Wait...they're already working on a third one?! I need to catch up!