No, he
doesn’t steal money from unscrupulous rich sharks to help the needy like Salman’s
character does in KICK. Though he does have a sobbing back story but he hardly
bothers to exchange it for your sympathies unlike Aamir’s character does in
DHOOM 3. Also he is not seeking any age-long revenge of some personal loss as
Shah Rukh’s character does in HAPPY NEW YEAR but when it comes to walk away serenely
in slow-motion from a massive explosion, Denzel Washington sure gives all the
Bollywood superstars a run for their money. He has done it in MAN ON FIRE
before but in Antoine Fuqua’s action-entertainer THE EQUALIZER, he is outstandingly
massy, entertaining & the best bet for your money. I have clapped numerous
times before for his unparalleled performances in CRY FREEDOM, PHILADELPHIA, and
THE GREAT DEBATORS but this one made me whistle for him like most front liners
do for their bollywood idols.
THE EQUALIZER
is a delight for any action-junkie, who dies to spend his evenings with lots of
blood-shed, breathless action and thrilling hunt-down, cat & mouse
sequences between the evil and the fearless. Denzel plays Robert McCall, a
mysterious loner with fabricated identity and a darker past to deal with. When a
slightly familiar prostitute [Chloe Grace Moretz] gets beaten up hard by a Russian
sex-trafficking mob, the man in disguise decides to take them down one by one
including Teddy [Marton Csokas] a razor-sharp, smart and cold-blooded right
hand to the crime-chief.
Fuqua
directs well the portions of showing the layered personality of Denzel’s
character in the film. Be it his impulse action with setting up deadlines in
his stop-watch and then counting it soon after finishing the task or the way he
chose to carry his own tea-dip to his regular café and sit there reading books
his wife has left to him; the character is blessed with a fool-proof sketch in
black & white. Watch out for the scene where McCall & Teddy meet for
the first time and both try hard to outsmart other. Similarly, the
confrontation scene between the two in café where both thrust to take down the
other emotionally & psychologically is one of the most thrilling! Though the
climax is overtly stretched; for the most part, THE EQUALIZER is an adrenalin
rush.
Denzel is
seen and applauded before for his gallantry appearances in many action
thrillers but the kind of intensity and the conviction he brings with such ease
is absolute pleasurable experience. His all plucky character played on screen
is very similar to our bollywood heroes are trying lately with the current obsession
for the 100 Cr club. He can be seen taking on a bunch of goons with guns at one
go but never looks unfocussed & baffled even for once. Chloe Grace Moretz
doesn’t have much to play except a couple of scenes striking enough to notice
her talent. Marton Csokas gives Denzel a tough competition in terms of the
role-building exercise.
Overall,
THE EQUALIZER is an enjoyable action-trip made even better & easier to have
your time spent with trusted performance by Denzel. Never underestimate this
new ‘Dabangg’ in town! He’s more refined and sophisticated version who can
bring some sense to ‘whatever happens just happens for the sake of it’! Watch
it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and you won’t complain! [3/5]
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