User:LancedSoul/sandbox/The Equalizer

The Equalizer is a 2014 American vigilante action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua, loosely based on the 1980s TV series of the same name. Written by Richard Wenk, it stars Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo. The film focuses on a former US Marine turned Defense Intelligence Agency officer who reluctantly returns to action to protect a teenage sex worker from members of the Russian mafia. It was the first film to have Village Roadshow Pictures co-finance the deal with Sony Pictures since Saving Silverman in 2001. The Equalizer had its world premiere at 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014, and was released worldwide on September 26, 2014 in conventional and IMAX theaters.

A sequel was released on July 20, 2018, with Washington, Wenk and Fuqua returning.

Plot
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), a man of mysterious origin who believes he has put the past behind him, dedicates himself to creating a quiet new life. However, when he meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teenager who has been manhandled by violent Russian mobsters, he simply cannot walk away. With his set of formidable skills, McCall comes out of self-imposed retirement and emerges as an avenging angel, ready to take down anyone who brutalizes the helpless.

Reception
The Equalizer received mixed-to-positive from critics and fans of the show, who praised the visual style, acting, soundtrack and action sequences but criticized its violence and plot. On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film holds an approval rating of 59% based on 197 reviews, and an average rating of 5.69/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Equalizer is more stylishly violent than meaningful, but with Antoine Fuqua behind the cameras and Denzel Washington dispensing justice, it delivers.". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Box office
The Equalizer became a commercial success with a worldwide gross of over $192 million on a production budget of $73 million.

Comments
2010s films]] Drama films]] Best Picture Nominees]] Live-action films]] American films]] Based on book or novel]] British movies]] Independent Films]] Historical Films]] Searchlight Pictures films]] Based on real events]] Box office hits]]