The Equalizer (2014) - Antoine Fuqua

A kind, and supportive man, Robert McCall works at a Home Improvement store, where he routinely helps out his co-workers with their personal problems.  Every night, McCall goes to a diner, soon befriending a teenage Russian prostitute, Alina.  One night Alina is brutally beaten by her pimp, Slavi, putting her in intensive care at the hospital.  McCall seeks Slavi out, offering to buy Alina, but when he refuses, McCall kills him and his four goons.  It turns out Robert McCall has dark and violent past life, and with Slavi's ties to the Russian mafia, a war begins between McCall and the entire Russian mob.  Antoine Fuqua's The Equalizer is an action-packed flick that is different enough from many of Denzel's recent action films to make it one of his more compelling recent efforts.  Robert McCall is a very, very dangerous man, and the film plays up this mysterious character, never giving the viewer true insight into what exactly he did in his past.  Antoine Fuqua seems to understand that less is more with this vengeful character, instilling a sense of supernatural into this deadly character.  The Equalizer's weakest aspect is simply Denzel playing a similar character to one he has played the last few years, but it's unfair to judge it solely on that similarity.   One of the better shot action films of late, The Equalizer does suffer from a few moments of over-stylized silliness, but overall it's a well put-together, action-packed revenge flick that keeps the viewer engaged from start to finish.  

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