Surprised not to see anything on this one.  Shocked not to see it on any "Best of 2018" lists.

For some reason, I missed this at the theater.  Maybe it's because the original was not only 4 years removed, but also not all that impressive or memorable for me.  Well, whatever it was, I picked this up a couple weeks ago at Redbox and the girlfriend and I watched it...and both absolutely loved it!

So, we have a Summer release here with a $62 Million budget, and a decent $102 Million NABO return, and another $88 Million overseas.  Rotten Tomatoes only has this sitting at 51%, which I find quite crazy.

For me, literally everything worked here.  There are several stories taking place and each gives real character to Denzel's Robert McCall, whereas in the 2014 original, I didn't really buy into McCall.  Here, he's humanized...he's more real, and I actually cared about him.

Acting is great across the board.  Denzel is shockingly 62 years old, but looks, acts, and fights like he's 20 something years younger.  I don't care if everything is made to look a certain way, you can just tell the way he throws a punch and moves that he's a badass at any age.

In fact, all the fight scenes are amazingly shot and choreographed.  Director Antoine Fuqua just has a great eye for action and it really shows in the finished product.  There are several MMA cameos, and all are impressive, to say the least.

Story-wise, we have a globe trotting affair, but most of the action takes place in and around Boston.  In fact, we have an impending hurricane which not only plays into the story, but also works very well here.

I think what really stood out for me, though, is the way this movie was shot.  Multiple shots on pretty much every single scene.  Attention to detail in every scene.  Complete setup of every scene.  It's just a very well put together film, and I'm surprised it didn't get the recognition it deserved.

Grade - A

I concur.

Even worse than the first one.

Excellent film. Couldn't quite match the magic of the original, but a good ol'-fashioned crowdpleaser with some great sequences and strong character work. Car fight was a standout.

Side note -- when I saw it in theatre, almost everyone there appeared to be over 50.

Quoted from Heretic Car fight was a standout.

Indeed!  Loved that scene.  The bad guy is Jay Hieron, former MMA fighter, now actor/stunt man.

Kind off adding to what something Heretic pointed out; but I'm finding action films with older geezers like Washington and Neeson more fun than films with younger leads nowadays.

I'd like to think it's because they add a certain presence to the role, but maybe it's just my age creeping in and influencing what I like now.