The Equalizer 2 Review – Spoiler Free
The Equalizer 2 is a film which comes directed by Antoine Fuqua who some may know for his work with the first Equalizer film or his recent work on The Magnificent Seven, both of which also star Denzel Washington. The Equalizer 2 also stars Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo and Jonathan Scarfe.
The Equalizer 2 releases this week in cinemas and is currently one of the few action films out at the moment that isn’t an action-comedy (Ant-Man/Jurassic World). The film is more of an action-thriller experience and if you’ve seen the first one in this film series, you can expect a similar offering this time around.
Initially when I first heard about The Equalizer 2 sequel, I was actually a little surprised that there even was one coming out. I enjoyed the first film, but I never thought it was as popular as something like John Wick or Kingsman, but nevertheless I was curious to see some more Denzel Washington action sequences on the big screen.
Being a thriller, I felt tense in my seat sitting there throughout the run time and when it came to the action moments, I certainly wasn’t disappointed at all.
There’s actually quite a long and well shot action scene which takes place in the middle of a storm between Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall and the villains of the film which was excellent. For me this was the highlight of the film and although there were great action moments all throughout it, the storm scene was definitely satisfying.
The problem that I feel that the film has is with its story. Although I don’t go into an action film like this expecting a phenomenal tale, I’m there to watch stuff get blown up or shot at and that’s all. But with The Equalizer 2, you would have to have your face in your popcorn box to miss something with the plot. It’s not hard to guess what’s going to happen in the end of the film early on and that can take away quite a bit of the thriller experience.
On the other hand, other than it being a little predictable, it’s not too bad. We have a similar character in The Equalizer 2 to the first film. Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall, is still on some sort of ethical quest where he does bad things to people who do bad things and that makes it all equal. There wasn’t too much exploration of the main character or side characters, but I did feel for Miles who was played Ashton Sanders, who was a character Robert was trying to help. There’s some good things about the film and the overall message of “doing the right thing” by the people in your life is something nice to see.
The actors all do a fine job. Denzel Washington is a joy to watch in these action films and if you enjoyed him in the first Equalizer film or in any of his recent performances such as The Magnificent Seven then you’re in for more of the same again in this film and that’s a good thing. There’s an appearance from Bill Pullman who is an excellent actor and had a good presence in this film. Pedro Pascal also appears in the film quite a bit and was actually very enjoyable to watch, hopefully we can see more films with this actor in the future.
Overall The Equalizer 2 is worth seeing if you’re a big fan of the first one in the series, enjoy Denzel Washington movies or are looking for a violent action-thriller this weekend. While the plot may be a little predictable at certain points, the overall message the film tries to give its audience is a good one. The film certainly will deliver big on the action sequences and if that’s all you’re interested in, then it’s definitely worth taking a look at.
