The Equalizer 2
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Written by: Richard Wenk
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ashton Sanders, Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo, Orson Bean, Bill Pullman, Jonathan Scarfe, Kazy Tauginas, Garrett Golden, Sakina Jaffrey, Adam Karst, Antoine de Lartigue, Tamara Hickey, Abigail Marlowe
Action/Crime/Thriller - 121 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 20 July 2018
Written by: Richard Wenk
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ashton Sanders, Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo, Orson Bean, Bill Pullman, Jonathan Scarfe, Kazy Tauginas, Garrett Golden, Sakina Jaffrey, Adam Karst, Antoine de Lartigue, Tamara Hickey, Abigail Marlowe
Action/Crime/Thriller - 121 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 20 July 2018
Every aspect of The Equalizer 2 is far less appealing than the superstar original. The scenes run too long. The main story arc remains buried underneath various aspects of equalizing until the film requires a climax. Robert McCall carries a gun now, an item he never had on his person before. Sequels frequently fail to reach the heights of their older brothers, but The Equalizer 2 feels especially disappointing. The first iteration in 2014 refreshed the action/thriller genre ground to ashes after two too many Taken films. As this is the first time Denzel Washington has ever starred in a sequel in his long career, it is a shame the film does not meet the standards of its predecessor.
After disposing of the entire Russian mob and saving a young prostitute in peril at the end of The Equalizer, McCall never stopped equalizing. Either to keep busy, to find new victims to help, or because he could not go back to the warehouse home improvement store he annihilated taking out all the bad guys, McCall is now the world’s smoothest Lyft driver. I assume Lyft fronted a strong portion of the budget for the shocking amount of screen time they enjoy. Watching Denzel drive around Boston’s streets chuckling at nervous kids prepping for interviews, worried about alcoholics falling off the wagon, or ensuring a group of coked up frat boys never walk without a limp again after what they do to a woman, are the film's highlights.
After disposing of the entire Russian mob and saving a young prostitute in peril at the end of The Equalizer, McCall never stopped equalizing. Either to keep busy, to find new victims to help, or because he could not go back to the warehouse home improvement store he annihilated taking out all the bad guys, McCall is now the world’s smoothest Lyft driver. I assume Lyft fronted a strong portion of the budget for the shocking amount of screen time they enjoy. Watching Denzel drive around Boston’s streets chuckling at nervous kids prepping for interviews, worried about alcoholics falling off the wagon, or ensuring a group of coked up frat boys never walk without a limp again after what they do to a woman, are the film's highlights.
I enjoy watching McCall distribute vigilante justice at a local level. McCall’s main project is Miles (Ashton Sanders, Moonlight). Miles is on a precipice about to choose between art school and an honest living or life on the corners slinging narcotics toward an early grave in the gang world. Leading by example and calling Miles out on what he expects from life starts to get the kid’s attention. These small time solutions to hyper-local problems are all well and good for a weekly, hour-long cable drama; however, Denzel is here to carry a film.
The whole reason McCall lives the spartan life of a monk is because of the early, violent death of his wife and to atone from what he believes are a million sins he committed as a government assassin. We know this existence is headed toward a conclusion because McCall is about to begin the final book of his quest to read ‘The 100 Books Everyone Should Read’. His old life comes calling when one of the very few people who knew him in his earlier days winds up dead and must be avenged. McCall was never going to fill the void left by his dead wife by helping the neighborhood youth, but it provided him a reason to get out of bed and continue to live. However, kill someone McCall considers a true friend, and the Russian mob already knows how that ends.
Settings shuffle between Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, but even Denzel should raise his eyebrows at how melodramatic director Antoine Fuqua crafts the climax - why wouldn’t he have it out with heavily armed mercenaries outside during a Category 5 hurricane? Does the weather reflect McCall’s inner turmoil? I just made a face writing that. The elements are here for another quality Equalizer story, but the script is too loose. Tune it up a few notches and tighten the pacing to correct the sag and we would have something here. Apparently, Richard Wenk’s script sports some authenticity though. A gentleman sitting next to me pointed out that a Boston establishment known to locals called the Bodega shows up quickly in a sketchbook McCall flips through - a quick inside wink Boston locals will understand. If true, then here is a tip of the hat in Wenk’s direction; unfortunately, his Equalizer 2 script is more akin to his Expendables 2 script - it needs another draft.
Comment Box is loading comments...
