After watching this film, I had two questions buzzing around my mind. First question if it wasn't for the brand name of the 80s action-drama show, Denzel Washington , the bad guy intro of Marton Csokas and being directed by one of my favorite directors (Antoine Faqua)... could this movie be easily forgettable? Second What's the difference between Denzel Washinton and Steven Seagal?

The answer to the latter is that Washington is a better actor - but you'd hardly know it from this mess. Ol' Sensei Steven could have shown up as McCall and---hey don't gimmie those grumpy looks. Here's a checklist for you:

In the movie, McCall is a former black ops agent who faked his own death but now comes out of retiirement to play vigilante justice.

McCall is three steps ahead of the bad guys. Always.
McCall knows the moves the bad guys make before they make them.
McCall can set explosions and walk away without so much as a breeze on his back.
McCall gets very zen.
McCall fights Russian Mobbers who are into dope and sex trafficking.
McCall fights dirty cops.
McCall is near industructable.

If Denzel isn't channeling Seagal, then he's channelling any or all of the following: Jack Reacher, The Punisher, Clarence from True Romance and possibly Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Never once is McCall a stand out character. It's also a slight reinvention of the TV show character so you won't get any callbacks to the series until the last frame of the movie where the Equalizer Want Ad is updated. Yeah, we "Need Help" alright. Stylistically, the film isn't bad. It's just below average.

Faqua helmed the better of the two abysmal White House themed action pictures last year (the one with Gerald Butler, if that helps- it don't, awww shucks) but he also directed better pictures. I'll still have a guilty pleasure in King Arthur, Tears Of The Sun and Brookyn's Finest Training Day was and still is outstanding. Nobody's forgotten that. But in an answer to my first question, if if wasn't for the TV series this is loosely based on and the talent, you'd forget this film in a week. By the way, halfway in the picture, Chloe Grace Moretz is forgotten about.

Would I be more forgiving if it was a Steven Seagal film? No. But this happens to star Denzel Washington, and he reteams with Faqua.  I expect more.

A travesty. I was looking forward to seeing it, but it seems they've just pissed the budget up the wall. What a shame.

" The Equalixer"  ?

Call me old fashioned. Call me Brian. Or call me a cab.

Will some old fashioned Mod please fix the spelling before I spit my dummy. I thankyou. In advance,

R

I loved the script and thought it was great.  I been looking forward to the movie ever since, and I don't care if McCall is always one step a head of the bad guys because they're total sleaze ball dip shits who deserve what's coming.

Awesome movie.  Everything I expected and then some.

This was a very bland and unimaginative script. Very cliched and by the numbers. I'll wait till I catch it on VOD or TV.

Well I broke down and watched the movie at the cinema with a group of friends. My thoughts are that the movie was.... super lame. It had a very "by the numbers 80s B-movie feel". The last 10 min or so were just bad and made the movie seem even more cheap. Don't understand how this got so many positive reviews.

Quoted from Demento Don't understand how this got so many positive reviews.

From the critics?

One thing I've noted from the early release of films is that the cast and crew will boost reviews, giving the impression of a good film.

If it was actual critic reviews then I can only assume they are paid.

Quoted from DustinBowcot From the critics?

I think it had 67% on RT and 7.7 on IMDB, last time I checked.