The Equalizer (2014)

A man believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and has dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers:

Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan (television series)

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Robert McCall
Marton Csokas	...	Teddy
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Teri
David Harbour	...	Masters
Haley Bennett	...	Mandy
Bill Pullman	...	Brian Plummer
Melissa Leo	...	Susan Plummer
David Meunier	...	Slavi
Johnny Skourtis	...	Ralphie
Alex Veadov	...	Tevi
Vladimir Kulich	...	Vladimir Pushkin
E. Roger Mitchell	...	Lead Investigator
James Wilcox	...	Pederson
Mike O'Dea	...	Remar (as Mike P. O'Dea)
Anastasia Sanidopoulos Mousis	...	Jenny (as Anastasia Mousis)

Storyline

In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

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Plot Keywords:

mysterious past | gangster | ex soldier | assassin | hanged man | 

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Taglines:

What do you see when you look at me?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

26 September 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

El justiciero

Filming Locations:

Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$34,137,828 (USA) (26 September 2014)

Gross:

$101,530,738 (USA) (9 January 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, LStar Capital, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several aerial shots of the Leonard P. Zakim [Bunker Hill Memorial] bridge are seen throughout the film. The bridge is the main entry/exit route into Boston, and is featured in several movies and TV shows that take place in Boston.

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Goofs

When McCall cuffs Frank in his car and forces him to speak by gassing him, Frank should have no problems opening the door or lowering the window from inside the car, having one hand free.

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Quotes

Susan Plummer: Teddy Rensen. Real name, Nicolai Itchenko. Skill set honed in Spetsnaz. He's formidable and smart. Ran a wing of the Secret Police for years. Went private when the Union fell. Basically he's a sociopath with a business card.

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Denzel Washington/Gemma Arterton/Peter Capaldi/George Ezra (2014)

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Soundtracks

Friendship Train
Written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield
Performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Denzel Washington is dope

Action, drama, humor, Denzel can due it all. Based on the TV show, Denzel Washington is yet another old man, similar to Pierce Bronson in the November Man, trying to prove he's still got it by playing a mysterious dude who works at a Megamart who decides to help a young hooker who got beat up pretty badly and ends up taking down some major hitters in the Russian Mafia, then becomes a target for the main boss.

The movie had a quiet tone similar to Denzel and Director Antoine Fuqua's last flick, Training Day, but Denzel's performance in this is far more Oscar worthy. Denzel still brings passion to movies in an age were other actors like him are phoning it in just for the pay check, and basically that's what makes the movie. Watching Denzel on screen.

In all fairness, The Equalizer's main antagonist, A man the mob sends to take care of their problems, was no slouch either. It was so entertaining watching these two hunt each other down.

Possibly the worse part of the movie was there was not enough Chloë Grace Moretz whose role in the movie is no more than a gloried cameo.

Overall Mr. Fuqua directed the great Denzel in another amazing role.