THE EQUALISER

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.

Denzel Washington does do the ruthless action hero well. And his latest movie, THE EQUALISER, starts off brilliantly. It’s dark, raw, rich, and deep as his character (Robert McCall) is developed in the first act. And it looks like we are in for a fresh story when he meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz in a very different role), a teenage prostitute, in the diner he frequents each night when he can’t sleep. When she disappears, he decides to find out where she is. And he is very much up to the task. The problem is, half way through the movie, it loses its way and descends into a cliched, predictable, violent action thriller that has none of the quality of the first half. It’s pretty obvious who the goodies and baddies are because every stereotype is used to tell us. It’s a shame because this movie had so much potential. The soundtrack is great, it has a good cast, and the essential premise is a good one. But, unfortunately, all the good things are not sustained and, ultimately, this movie is very unsatisfying.

***1/2