Ashdoc's movie review---The equalizer

by ashdoc Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:15 pm

Denzel Washington plays role of a new American hero ( the equalizer ) in this movie. Mind you , he is no superhero . He has got no special powers . What he has got are his skills in combat , for he was a former govt black ops operative .But he doesn't start off as the equalizer . In fact , he seems to be leading a quiet life after retiring from his job and the death of his wife , helping his friends find jobs .

But a man of his training and caliber and above all of his character cannot see injustice happening before his very eyes . He cannot ignore what most of us would , and has the guts to tread where most of us would not even think of going....

A young Russian girl ( played by Chloë Grace Moretz ) befriends him in a restaurant he visits regularly , and she is beautiful . But she is also a prostitute . And is a sex slave of the Russian mafia . When she hits a client who gets physically rough with her , the mafia hurts her very badly .

When Denzel comes to know about this , he takes terrible revenge . He soon realizes that he now has to grapple with an entire mafia that is ruthlessly cruel and is ready to go to any lengths to protect their interests . And they are searching for him....

A deadly cat and mouse game develops as the enforcer ( played by Marton Csokas ) of the gang lands in the United States to deal with Denzel....and Denzel has to prove equal to the task of dealing with the mafia....

So the Russians are back to being the villains after the cold war , and after 'John Wick' this is the second straight film that I saw showing them as villains . But these modern Russians are covered with evil tattoos of foul monsters and are mafia gangsters instead of communist spies of the past .

Here was a film that took itself dead seriously , and the villain was really menacing---doubly so because such people really exist in the flesh trade ; his character was no purely filmy creation . And the not only his actions ( killing and beating people mercilessly ) but also his eyes betrayed the fact that he was a psychopath .

As the movie moved into action mode , I found out that the action is not merely with guns , but also is extremely physical . And that makes some of it really raw . It's a fight to the finish , for neither party has the leeway to let the other go alive .

Denzel has put up a riveting performance , especially because this is a film which requires real acting and not just fighting . The scenes in which he looked into the villain's eyes and talked about the villain's gory past were really good .

The action scenes seemed credible enough in the initial stages and mid stages of the movie , but towards the end Denzel was seeming close to a superhero who can do no wrong and is invincible . The action at the climax does not seem fully credible .

Photography and sound are both good , especially photography of the city lit up at night , and also that of it's dark alleys where crime flourishes .

Verdict---Good enough , but more due to the acting than the fighting .

by Hellsangel Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:23 pm

Here, read this:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/nov/14/why-on-screen-bad-guys-are-always-russian

Now go watch Eastern Promises.

by ashdoc Sun Nov 23, 2014 1:53 am

Hellsangel wrote:Here, read this:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/nov/14/why-on-screen-bad-guys-are-always-russian

Now go watch Eastern Promises.

Among the various reasons the author has given for Hollywood's newfound dislike for Russians , he has forgotten the main one---the Russians are now bad because of the newfound aggro of Russian president Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and Crimea , which has directly pitted Russia against the United States and the west .

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Ashdoc's movie review---The equalizer

Ashdoc's movie review---The equalizer

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