The Equalizer 2 [DVD] [2017]

Save your time and money and avoid this mess. This movie is absolute garbage and lacks the characters and credible plot from the first movie. The main plot is very stupid. Plot spoilers follow, but then again, this movie already stinks. A group of hired “highly skilled” mercenaries break into a French person’s house and murder him and his wife, trying to make it look like a suicide. Strike #1 - a highly skilled killers wouldn’t have killed the wife and used a gun to frame the suicide. They would have eliminated the man alone. Killing the wife and using a gun in France opens up a huge investigation. Denzel’s government agent friend then investigates the murder, but then gets attacked and murdered herself. Strike #2 – killing off a government investigator raises further suspicions, especially as the US government would be seeking revenge. Denzel then gets involved, trying to find out who is responsible for the murder of his friend. The main villain’s character has no depth and really boring. The side story between Denzel helping a wayward youth really doesn’t develop into a realistic bond. Strike #3 is the very stupid and illogical final fight scene between Denzel and the mercenaries. In the first movie, Denzel doesn’t like guns and used a variety of common items to defeat his enemies. Here, guns are used, but worse of all, the fight takes place during a hurricane. Not realistic at all when the main villain climbs on top of a tower to use a sniper rifle in 90+ mph winds. First he wouldn’t have any visibility with the rain, second the winds would not only knock him off the tower, but make the bullet travel off target. Anyone outside would also be blown around like rags dolls and wouldn’t be able to run around so easily. The whole ending fight was lame and show how bad Hollywood’s script writing has gotten. Complete lack of creativity, predictable, and not realistic at all. This movie was a complete waste of time and missed opportunity to further develop Denzel’s character from the first movie.

The Equalizer was an unexpectedly good action movie. The idea that someone was able to slow down his own time to defeat evil for the good of man was novel when the 80’s TV incarnation was around. Even better in modern times. Denzel turned in a fine performance that first film too! This time out, McCall is still fighting for the hurt, lost, and the troubled. This time he is a Lyft driver who helps those in need at almost every turn, big or small. We see him helping the elderly, helping troubled teenagers, helping strangers left worse for wear in his Lyft vehicle. Then the unthinkable happens... a dear friend is murdered. McCall then goes beast mode on those who contributed to the death. Action scenes are intercut with some decent, if not a little slowly paced drama. Denzel again fits the role like a glove and does some amazing dramatic work. He is easily still one of the finest working actors we have around today. Overall, the movie is a noble follow up to the first, even if the action isn’t nearly as kinetic. Picture and Sound quality for this release are overall near reference quality— you’re treated to a beautifully rendered 2K digital intermediate and some nice color grading and brightness highlights. This picture is sharp! Sound wise, you’re system will receive some subwoofer punishment and if you’ve got an Atmos setup, those height channels will get a little bit of work going through them as well! If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll likely enjoy it, even if you don’t love it as much as the first... it’s a recommend for me!

Denzel Washington does in The Equalizer 2 what he's never done before: a sequel. Ex-CIA agent Robert McCall returns for another spin on the classic TV series. In this film, McCall now lives in a different part of Boston, making a living as a Lyft driver while taking on side jobs (he foils a child kidnapping in the beginning), while mentoring a young street artist with gang issues. But when an old friend and colleague of his is murdered by thugs, while on an assignment in Belgium, McCall finds himself facing the surviving members of his old CIA attack team. They're busy cleaning up loose ends, and McCall is next on their list. He deals with them in a complex final battle, in a deserted coastal town during a major storm, from which only one side will emerge victorious. As McCall, Washington brings the action and the drama just as he did the first time around, and the Boston locales are again in evidence for authenticity (there are some scenes of an apartment building for retirees in nearby Lynn--I myself drive by the place frequently, so it's good to see it here). In all, a welcome companion to the original and a worthy addition to anyone's library.

I enjoyed revisting the Equalizer character played by Denzel Washington. He carries the movie with personal torment / history. As a sequal, it holds it's own, but for some strange reason I enjoyed the first one better. After thinking about, I realized, like a lot of these movies, makes a movie better is the villain. In the first one, the villain and his henchmen stood out, especially the main bad guy,..he had that Bad Guy persona, that you just love to hate. In Equalizer 2, the main bad guy lacked the aforementioned persona or conviction. WIth that said, the best part of Equalizer 2, is Denzel Washington, the conviction he brings to the part, coupled with him kicking the butts of some guys that need the wooping.

Thank God Denzel waited for a stellar script before committing to this film. It could have been a disaster, but it takes you on a entirely different ride and shows you a different side of this character. You wouldn’t think that anyone could show you anything new or fresh with this genre, but be patient and hold on for a thrilling build up and a truly satisfying conclusion. Antoine Fuqua, a totally shrewd and amazing director who knows how to respect his audiences intelligence, builds the tension slowly and make you squirm before allowing the pot to boil over. Denzel Washington, one of the greatest actors ever, makes you believe in McCall in a way that few actors can, and delivers with his heart and soul. Bravo!

Lots of good action, but there's something about this one that wasn't quite as good as the first. The first movie had a different vibe in that Denzel Washington's character Robert McCall was all about protecting the "little guy." His demeanor was low key, he worked at a Home Improvement Store, his friends were average people. Even though the action was big, the feeling was "home town." In this one, the action is bigger, the scope is bigger, its international settings made it more like a Bond film. While I still enjoyed it, it lost much of what made me like the first.

I was a fan of the old TV series. Loved the 1st movie and this sequel is better than the original. This movie shows us more of the characters backstory, the loss of his wife, his military service and his government service in telling but fleeting moments woven through out the movie. Denzel gets to open the characters heart. He loses his closest ally in the world and makes sure that those responsible are dealt with quickly and harshly . I hope this series continues, the movies are great entertainment. One of my favorite movies from 2018.

Denzel Washington returns to one of his signature roles in the first sequel of his career. Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed but how far will he go when that is someone he loves? Directed by Antoine Fuqua and Written by Richard Wenk, The Equalizer 2 is based on a television series by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. The film is produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Denzel Washington, Antoine Fuqua, Alex Siskin, Steve Tisch, Mace Neufeld, Tony Eldridge and Michael Sloan, with Molly Allen and David Bloomfield serving as executive producers.