The Equalizer

This grisly, gruesome, ultraviolent thriller begins with a quote from Mark Twain: “The most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” Quiet widower Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) works as a manager at a Home Depot-like super-hardware store in Boston, where he mentors a younger employee (Johnny Skourtis) who wants to be a security guard. McCall is a loner, eating solitary meals at a local diner while reading literary classics by Hemingway and Cervantes. One night, he strikes up a conversation with teenage Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a Russian-born hooker who is being terrorized by menacing mobsters. What she doesn't realize is that McCall is also the Equalizer, a justice-obsessed, former CIA operative who comes to the aid of those who cannot help themselves. After McCall singlehandedly dispatches the crime syndicate with aplomb, Moscow oligarch Vladimir Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich), sends retribution in the form of Teddy (Marton Csokas), a misogynistic killer whose torso is covered with a demonic tattoo. Can McCall vanquish this sadistic psychopath, along with a pack of corrupt cops? Tracing its antecedents back to a ‘80s CBS-TV series starring Edward Woodward as the vigilante, filmmaker Antoine Fuqua's crime drama is often formulaic and feels far too long, but Washington nicely plumbs the depths of McCall's character, and there are solid supporting turns by Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Children of the Night” character segment (6 min.), the “Home Mart: Taking Care of Business One Bolt at a Time” parody commercial (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Vengeance Mode” viewing option with star Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua, the production featurettes “Inside The Equalizer” (8 min.), “Denzel Washington: A Different Kind of Superhero” (7 min.), “Equalizer Vision: Antoine Fuqua” (7 min.), and “One Man Army: Training and Fighting” (7 min.), as well as a photo gallery, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package on the Blu-ray release for an uneven film lifted by some fine acting.] (S. Granger)