The Equalizer

The Equalizer is about what you would expect from a Denzel Washington action movie; it's violent, it's entertaining, and is at some times, stylish. However, these don't save The Equalizer from many of its short-comings. There are many plot holes and conveniences present that are written in to move the story forward. Plot-holes and conveniences in an action movie would not bother me if they weren't so blatantly obvious. I won't take this into spoiler territory with specifics, but there were a few times when something happened that took me out of the movie for a moment, thinking "there's no way that would happen" or "why did this even happen" or "how does that work? " Clocking in at over two hours, The Equalizer slows down a few times in the middle of the movie. It doesn't necessarily feel too long, but if just 10 minutes were shaved off the final cut, the movie would have a better pace. The problems I had with The Equalizer came from the second and third acts, as the setup and first third of the movie were really strong. Once the movie pushes past the 45 minute mark, it arguably becomes more entertaining, but also presents more problems. Denzel Washington is awesome throughout the movie, and The Equalizer is right in his wheelhouse as an actor (you could say he has been typecast in these roles) Overall, while The Equalizer has its share of problems, and is not necessarily memorable, it is undoubtedly entertaining for the 2 hours you'll spend sitting in the theatre, especially for those who enjoy violent action movies.