(older movie reviews with a new coat of paint)

“It’s about a guy in night shining armor except he lives in a world where knights don’t exist anymore.”-Robert McCall

Before the movie started, my fellow critic Landon Burris warned me that The Equalizer looked like “diet” Denzel. Thankfully, Mr. Burris was wrong. This movie rocks and it does so on the heels of another commanding performance from Washington, reteaming with his Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua for a simple yet highly enjoyable action experience.

By simple, I don’t mean it settles for cheap thrills or denies the viewer fun. It’s easy on the eyes, keeps the action moving and Denzel elevates any kind of material. He plays Robert, a seemingly nice wise fellow who works at a hardware store, looks out for his fellow employees and likes to go out to his neighborhood diner for hot tea and a book. Robert also can’t sleep and that is due to a past that slowly reveals itself as the 130 minute running time unfolds. This is where Washington excels with these action heroes. He doesn’t try to wax Oscar pathos on a fun action role. He supplies just the right amount of weight to the old lion hanging around the young man’s den. (more…)