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Eagle Media

Eagle Media

‘Equalizer’ captivates viewers

While sitting through the previews before “The Equalizer,” I felt myself becoming anxious of the two-hour run time I had just signed myself up to sit through. The trailers even seemed to drag on as I finished half of the snacks I cheaply snuck into the theater. Now as I approached the next 12 minutes (with only one bag of yogurt-covered pretzels) I became more anxious.
Denzel Washington captivates the audience immediately. He appears as an over compulsive and possibly over generous hardware store employee with OCD who loves to read and help people.
Bob (Washington) has a certain protocol for all of his day-to-day actions. As part of that protocol he records how long each task takes with his wristwatch. Bob times his commute to work, how long it takes him to shave and brush his teeth.
Helping people is a strong part of the hero’s decorum; eventually, his good Samaritan efforts force him out of retirement from being a mercenary.
When the Russian  mafia, corrupt cops and small-time crime interfere with Bob’s calculated schedule, he has to find out how long it will take him to restore peace.
Bob’s friend Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis) becomes an overweight sidekick as he gets Bob to be his personal trainer. After Teri (Chloë Moretz), a young Russian prostitute, speaks with Bob at his usual café, he takes her into his routine, but he later takes it upon himself to ensure she can leave behind her current painful life. Teddy (Marton Csokas) is brought in by the Russian mobsters to find out who Bob is, where to find him and kill him.
Csokas plays his role beyond that of other typical Russian movie mobsters and does a good job of holding his own on screen with Washington. His insanity is consistent throughout the film, but he adds this sophisticated touch to Teddy — an element of the character that grows more present as the plot progresses.
The villain becomes this hybrid of elegance and danger, with enough Russian connections to tear apart Bob’s neighborhood, but Bob has some old connections of his own to reach out to.
His character may be older, but Washington is still himself in “The Equalizer” as he delivers a “Man on Fire”- caliber performance.
Denzel was riveting yet mysterious while following a time consuming script that seemed to be lacking some transitions. Nonetheless, he still delivered something special to watch in every scene.
Go see this movie. The climax of the movie is worth the lengthy wait. Just seeing Bob eliminate bad guys such as Batman on a limited budget was awesome. Overall, the film was thrilling and had me guessing through most of it. If you are looking for romance or a date movie, try elsewhere. Anyone looking for great action and excellent acting should spring for the large, refillable soda and witness this epic box-office hit.

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