Ultra-Violence and the Equalizer

Hype set up Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington’s latest pairing. After Training Day, critics were chomping at the bit for this TV show modernization. The trailer for the vigilante justice film The Equalizer had fans lining up. However the film fails to hit any emotional note but instead is moved forward by unneeded ultra-violence.
Robert McCall lives an ordinary and simple life. He spends his days working at a home store and spends his sleepless night at a diner reading. He has a peculiar habit of timing himself at everything and shows various signs of OCD, so Bob is a little off, but seems like a nice guy. But then a teen hooker and acquaintance of his is beaten nearly to death, and Bob decides that he must do something about it. He takes on the pimp and his four goons in a matter of minutes. This starts a trail of actions leading him further into the mobster world.
The original series in the ‘80s was known for its violent realism but this movie goes beyond that. But there is no deep purpose for the level of violence bestowed on the bad men. There was no philosophical discussion of them deserving such brutal ending such as being hanged by barbed wire. It is just the tool the movie uses to entertain culminating to a Walking Dead-esque massacre. Fugua hopes that through violence and editing you will miss the flaws in the film.
These flaws include a lack of buildup. It takes forever for the plot to establish itself. In an effort to show what a basic and simple guy he is, too much time is spent showing his mundane activates from encouraging co-workers and washing his dishes. Its great pay off when he finally plays karma to the pimps, but the story gets dragged down into the organized mob. Instead of developing the character or taking a new spin on the lone hero, viewers watch him show a shot class into one of the villain’s eyes.
I was truly disappointed in the film as I loved Olympus Has Fallen. But this movie not only failed to channel the ideals from the TV show but it failed to be anything other than a man violently killing bad people.