The Equalizer [Blu-ray] [2015] [Region Free]

It seems to me that director Antoine Fuqua + actor Denzil Washington = superb entertainment.'Training Day' was gritty, serous stuff but very thoughtful and drew the most out of Denzil. 'The Equalizer' is pure action, with a plot that owes it's roots to Kurosawa's early Japanese action epics, and finely composed characters that are satisfactory to sit comfortably in this vengeance thriller.Denzil's character is not saintly ----- you don't do what his conscience dictates him to do without practice. But we are with him all the way because he helps the downtrodden and smashes the oppressors in a way that is extremely violent and innovative unlike Robin Hood or William Tell did, or even Edward Woodward did in his tv series of the same name. Beautiful stuff that makes Clint's 'Dirty Harry' look like Roger Moore's 'The Saint'.English subtitles, extremely violent, no sex or nudity though there are strong references to sex as the central girl in the film is a brass .

The first time I watched this I loved the opening 20-25 mins, mostly set in little diner.So the first act is great. The 2nd act maintains a good standard, and then the final act is where on first viewing I thought it let itself down a bit.However having re-watched the film a few times now it's really grown on me. I still think there is one scene in the final 15-20 mins which is a mistake. But that aside I really like it.Although this is based on an old TV series, to me what Denzil Washington's (he's great as always) character reminded me of most of all was Clint Eastwood's Palerider/High Plains Drifter ghostly gunfighter, who is virtually invincible, and indeed in one scene near the end another character virtually quotes from Palerider.So overall it's a thumbs up from me.

Oh, for a real-life hero like Denzel Washington's character in this movie! Suave and dishy as Sydney Poitier; he's warm-hearted and avuncular , an incisive, intellectual; a professional warrior. Uncle Bob who works at the home depot and befriends struggling, ordinary folks is the Black knight in shining armour for the 21st century. He is the guy we all hope and pray will come out from nowhere when the S.H.T.F.And the bad guys? Oh, they are all too real. Straight out of real life; the Russian accents make be questionable but their tattoos are spelled correctly. Russian-based, organised crime in the real world has spread even further than the network of corruption that has infests city of the Equalizer and, just as in the movie, it comes right from the centre of the Russian criminal state. The west was once a place where the good guys could escape through the Iron Curtain to safety. Unfortunately, when that came down, the bad guys followed them.With plenty of blood and bullets but no pointless, exploitative sex and with a little heroism from the feisty underdog, in this movie, the bad guys are irredeemably wicked and - Spoiler alert- they get what they deserve and the good guy wins. Yay! Happy ending.

I enjoyed this thriller to a certain extent, it's not a non stop thrill ride but that's not necessarily a bad thing and there's enough entertainment to make it worth a go.It's a loose reimagining of the 80's TV show with Denzel Washington playing Robert McCall - another one of these seemingly average guys who it turns out actually have a very particular set of skills. He uses these skills to set right some wrongs in his local neighbourhood - violently. Whilst protecting a young prostitute (Chloe Grace Moretz) he takes on some very bad men and runs into trouble with the Russian mob. Has he bitten off more than he can chew? Probably not.It takes a while to get going and maintains a deliberate pace throughout whilst occasionally exploding into life. If it's gunplay and explosions you're after then you'll get them eventually but you will have to wait for them. Denzel previously teamed with director Antoine Fuqua on Training Day - a good film elevated by a firecracker performance from the big man. He's more restrained here but it's a good performance of almost equal menace. On the other side of the fence sit some suitably intense villains for him to play off. Moretz I thought was sadly underused in a role that becomes as much of a plot device as anything else.It's all nicely shot, maintains a solid air of tension throughout and has a decent enough payoff to make it worthwhile overall.

Denzel at his scariest unstoppable best. Doncha just love him? A story of bringing justice for the 'little person' by a guy well able to deal justice out. I just love Denzel stories and how he 'lives' into each role. He is believable and enjoyable and this is a darned good film.

A (possibly reluctant) hero who can't stand by and watch the innocent be bullied, hurt n generally taken for a ride, steps up. He reunites with his (slightly mysterious) past and gives the bad guys a well deserved hard time in this dark, action-packed movie. Excellent special effects n slow-mo shots. Mr Washington is never less than awesome. Fine supporting cast.

This has leapfrogged straight into my favourite few films, and in the action hero genre I cannot remember anything else that I have enjoyed as much, ever. I am a fan of Denzel Washington in any case, and he looks and acts this part with total conviction and presence. His character Robert McCall has little traits of OCD, nice touch, and utterly lethal combat skills with which he dispenses ruthless justice. Marton Csokas is a formidable adversary and equally ruthless, cold as ice in fact and extremely threatening. Brilliant casting again. I have watched this at least half a dozen times, maybe ten times - and I'll be revisiting it many more times in the future. Ticks all the boxes, 5 stars without hesitation.And, unfortunately, it was obviously totally intentional to give the top "bad guy" the name "Vladimir Pushkin". I really would have left out that stupidity.