At the start of “The Equalizer,” when we see Denzel Washington pushing around sacks of concrete at a home repair store, we know something’s not quite right.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua — who also directed Washington in “Training Day” — “The Equalizer” finds Washington playing a modern-day Ronin: humble but deadly. Fuqua chooses to take his time in setting up the character — known as Robert — before letting him show off his skills.
Residing in Boston, Robert lives a repetitive, mundane but stable life, obviously hiding a mysterious past. He goes to work, has a cup of tea at a diner while reading and then goes home. He lives modestly in an apartment containing only the bare essentials.
He acts as a sort of parental figure/role model to the young people in his life —co-workers and other acquaintances — giving them dietary and other kinds of life advice, and they wisely take it.
Robert appears too content with his simple, unexciting lifestyle, but he can’t hide who he is for very long. One night in the diner, he befriends an underage Russian hooker, Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), and after she’s beaten by her pimp, he decides to intervene.
The first half of “The Equalizer” works well as a deliberate, vigilante/revenge-style thriller that uses violence sparingly and effectively. Like all humble warriors or vigilantes, Robert has a strict moral code and sees his acts of violence as righteous and necessary. His approach to fighting is calculating: assessing each situation carefully before acting and showing restraint when necessary.
Unfortunately, the movie goes off the rails in the second half. After Robert kills Teri’s pimp and four of his associates, a can of worms is opened and the Russian mob sends in Teddy — a “psychopath with a business card,” as described by one character — to take care of him.
Marton Csokes gives delightfully campy performance as Teddy; he serves as a nice counterpoint to Washington’s cool meticulousness.
But Fuqua makes things more complicated than he needs to. What begins as a simple, entertaining story of vengeance turns into an over-the-top B-movie that has Robert taking on the entire Russian mob, along with a few corrupt cops. Fuqua increases the amount of action, making it feel tedious and repetitive.
Worst of all, we learn about Robert’s past — enough to spoil the character’s mystique somewhat. In the end, “The Equalizer” simply has too much fat and becomes too farfetched.
Washington’s recent filmography hasn’t been all that impressive, but he consistently makes the best of his role. Now, he just needs to look for better scripts to complement his immense talent.