Have you ever watched a movie, seen a familiar face, and you immediately think of the last thing you saw them in? That happened in Equalizer 2. Now HBO is evil, having me wait until 2019 for the last season of Game of Thrones. How dare these people tease me by having Oberyn Martell in this film! I mean he does have a name, it’s Pedro Pascal. But to everyone that watches G.o.T., he’s Oberyn!
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is back, administering justice whenever and wherever he sees fit. But things take a turn when his best friend Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) gets caught up in the wrong case, sealing her fate far away in Belgium. Once this happens, Robert won’t rest until the killers are brought to justice. This also depends on how much help he gets from his former partner Dave York (Ober.. err Pedro Pascal).
There are plenty of moments that will make you squirm. Plenty. They’re bountiful. Fingers broken, necks snapped, heads cracked, stabbings, I mean all the violence in all its glory. He’s a hero that lives a quiet life like in the first film and always takes care of his neighbors. He befriends one young man named Miles (Ashton Sanders) to keep him out of trouble. After finding him walking from school one day, they slowly form a relationship that would grow as the plot develops (keep an eye on him).
There are a few parts where the film slows down a tad but nothing to the effect that would put its overall score in jeopardy. Over the years I’ve seen Denzel’s roles take a turn to the right. Instead of the fast-paced, run-and-shoot films, he’s been in more intellectual roles that use more close-combat techniques. So as opposed to chasing someone like he would a decade ago, now he’s facing them head-on and applying all the whoop ass he’s able to give. The brother is aging well. Still in action movies with a few slight adjustments to his characters and he’s still “equalizing.”
I give Equalizer 2 an 8.5 out of 10. At two hours and a few minutes, it’s a little long and you start to feel it towards the end. They could’ve called it quits at the hour and 40-minute mark and I wouldn’t have had any qualms about it. It has enough current action and information that you can get by if you’ve never seen the first film. He’s also hands-down the best Lyft driver ever and trust me, he will get that five-star review. Aside from that, sit back and enjoy the ride. Denzel’s still got it.
-Jon J.