Some types of films are designed to have sequels. While sequels often seek to make a quick buck on the success of a blockbuster, many live up to the hype. Many do not. Equalizer 2 lives up to the hype. It is a strong action film with an interesting lead character that is sure to make plenty of money and likely lead to a third installment.
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is the ultimate do-gooder. He will travel to another country to rescue an abducted child if that is what strikes him as the thing to do. Officially, he no longer exists. He was killed in an explosion, but managed to survive. So he keeps a low profile when he isn't interjecting himself into injustices with swift violence. We find him relocated to Boston where he is driving for an app-based car service. He knows some of his customers, like an elderly holocaust survivor, Sam Rubinstein (Orson Bean). He has also started to mentor a young man, Miles (Ashton Sanders), who appears to be headed down the wrong path.
McCall's semi-retired CIA friend, Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) is murdered while investigating the death of an asset in Belgium. The suspicious death looks like a robbery, but the autopsy report suggests someone knew what they were doing. McCall is drawn back into the spy game to uncover the truth. The truth becomes a journey home, where McCall settles debts while resolving some of his own inner turmoil.
Equalizer 2 is a face-paced action film drenched in violence. It is primarily good guy violence where we cheer the protagonist as he pummels bad guys. The story has a mild, but predictable twist that you can see coming a mile away. That doesn't make the film any less fun. The violence and suspense builds to an ultimate showdown between our hero and a highly trained team of operators. Do I really need to tell you how this ends? I think you can guess. While the film has a strong narrative arc and plenty of action, the ending does tend to jump the shark. It was so over-the-top that I was a bit disappointed. There was quite a bit wrong with the ending. The writers traded credibility for action, but failed to show restraint and lost a lot of my investment in the outcome. With a great lead character, I still enjoyed the story, but it could have been a bit more realistic in the end.
Denzel Washington was perfectly cast for this title role. He has the right combination of age, experience and delivery to give his character life. It is a complete buy-in for me. I enjoyed Leo as his long-time friend and thought Miles was cast well as a teenager struggling with his environment. Pedro Pascal was decent in a key role, although he was maybe just a bit too sketchy. Overall, the film has a strong cast that helped move the nicely paced story forward.
The MPAA rated Equalizer 2 with a predictable R rating. This film is violent with a decent gore factor. There are numerous fights and gun battles that end with death, disfigurement or blood. There is the suggestion of a rape, although the actual event is not depicted. There is plenty of strong language, to include a racial slur, although not used as an epithet. The film has drug and alcohol use, as well. This film is an action film with plenty of objectionable material. It is not sexual or sensual, but is incredibly violent. Teen audiences or better would be my suggestion.
Near the end of Equalizer 2 we get a showdown between McCall and a team of operators. It is in the middle of a hurricane at a coastal community. There was a lot that bothered me about the ending. First and foremost was the tactical movements of the operators. The film required them to be tactically unsound for the desired outcome, but it bothered me. It was contrived. They felt like strawmen operators because they had such poor tactics. There is also a scene with the protagonist and his protege where they are sitting in front of a huge picture window watching the storm rage. Seriously? While cinematic, it bend the boundaries of credibility. I like the story. The pacing made this film feel much shorter than the two hour run time. The casting was strong and the plot interesting. Overall, the film was enjoyable, but just a bit too ridiculous at the end. 7.5/10.
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