The Equalizer (2014)

A man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him cannot stand idly by when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers:

Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan (based on the television series created by)

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz

1 win & 9 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 Mousis Sanidopoulos	...	Jenny (as Anastasia Mousis)

Storyline

Robert McCall,'s a former special service commando who faked his own death in hopes of living out a quiet life. Instead, he comes out of his self-imposed retirement to save a young girl, and finds his desire for justice reawakened after coming face-to-face with members of a brutal Russian gang. McCall becomes the go-to man when the helpless require the kind of vengeance they would never find without his skills.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | vigilante | mysterious past | gangster | ex soldier | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Teddy is picked up on the private airport runway by Detectives Masters, Pederson and Remar, Pederson introduces himself as Morgan Pederson. He is played by James Wilcox, who has a brother-in-law named Morgan Peterson.

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Goofs

(at around 1 h 20 mins) A bad guy is chain smoking in an apartment. An overflowing ashtray is surrounded by empty cigarette packs. All the butts are Camels; all the packs are Marlboro. He pulls a Camel from a Marlboro pack and lights it.

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Quotes

Vladimir Pushkin: Who are you?
Robert McCall: Everybody wants to know.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema, DVD and Blu-ray versions are cut for violence to secure a 15 rating, removing or reducing the following:

• The closeup of the corkscrew being pushed further into Tevi's mouth, and the final shot of his face right before it's withdrawn.
• The first shot of the mercenary bleeding and choking on the barbed wire noose.

Columbia made additional cuts in two more scenes, which appear not to have been requested by the BBFC:

• A closeup of Teddy beating Little John's bloodied face twice, and a shot from behind that shows him readying another punch.
• The gangster being impaled through the neck was shortened at the start and end.

The six cuts total approximately 15 seconds. The UK Ultra HD Blu-ray is uncut and rated 18.

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Connections

Featured in Denzel Washington: A Different Kind of Superhero (2014)

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Soundtracks

Silver
Written by Zachary Abels (as Zach Abels), Jeremy Freedman, Mikey Margott (as Mike Margott) and Jesse James Rutherford (as Jesse Rutherford)
Performed by The Neighbourhood
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

May the Blood Flow

Denzel Washington is just great and The Equalizer belongs like the John Wick (Keanu Reeves) and Taken (Liam Neeson) movies to the new masterclass of revenge/vigilante movies. The Equalizer is a true to the heart successor of our former (or still) heroes of long gone times like Mr. Eastwood and Mr. Bronson: the king is dead, long live the king, so to say.

The Equalizer is great stuff - if you like your action spiced up with a good shot of violence.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

26 September 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Equalizer

Filming Locations:

Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,137,828, 28 September 2014

Gross USA:

$101,530,738

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$192,330,738

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 Dolby Atmos 12-Track Digital Sound (IMAX 12 track) IMAX 6-Track Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1