The Equalizer 2
In his first sequel, Denzel Washington adds colour and texture to his OCD avenger in Antoine Fuqua’s gripping character study.
Two films, two guns: Denzel Washington
In a career spanning 47 movies, Denzel Washington has never
made a sequel. Now, however, he returns to the character of the OCD avenger
Robert McCall. And there’s a reason: this concentrated, suspenseful character
study is even better than the original. If Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer (2014), based on the 1985-1989 TV series with Edward
Woodward, was a stylish, guilty pleasure, then Fuqua’s follow-up is a skilfully
plotted, meticulously crafted thriller that builds to a thoroughly satisfying
climax. In short, it’s a work of art.
In a nod to the first film, Fuqua’s The Equalizer 2 opens, of all places, on a train hurtling through
Turkey. There we find Denzel with a full chin beard, white taqiyah cap and complete
Muslim regalia, reading a copy of Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me (McCall likes his books). Within minutes
he has cornered his prey and set matters to rights according to his own
inimitable design. The prologue reminds us that a small gang of well-armed
thugs are no match for McCall, who has already made an inventory of his arsenal
by scanning the railway carriage for anything not bolted in place. It’s amazing
what can kill a man in the right hands.
Robert McCall is a former Marine and erstwhile spy for the
DIA, an auxiliary intelligence service of the US government, and he has his
regrets. He now works as a Boston cab driver and becomes attached to his
clientele, while still keeping up with his old associates. His closest ally is
perhaps Susan Plummer (fellow Oscar-winner Melissa Leo), who reminds him that,
“I’m the only friend you’ve got.”
Of course, this is not true, and we come to know the other
people in McCall’s life, from an elderly Holocaust survivor (Orson Bean) to a
young art student, Miles Whittaker (Ashton Sanders), who is hanging out with
the wrong kind of people. All this is rendered in a most engaging fashion, drawing
on the actor’s own innate charisma. However, the director is savvy enough to punctuate
McCall’s genial routine with a cut to Brussels, Belgium, where we witness a
horrific act of violence that we know will come to involve our protagonist.
Likewise, Fuqua – working from a screenplay by the prolific Richard Wenk – slips
in seemingly extraneous details that eventually add ballast to the final act. The
film is rich with allusion and narrative minutiae, helping to build McCall’s
world and character, from the décor of his apartment to the books he reads (Between the World and Me is a treatise
on the entrenched racism of the US). In fact, at one point he insists that
Miles reads a copy in return for a monetary transaction.
Like many of Denzel Washington’s most successful pictures, The Equalizer 2 is a generic piece, but
it’s one that adds heft and colour to the brand.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Denzel
Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Orson
Bean, Jonathan Scarfe, Sakina Jaffrey, Adam Karst, Tamara Hickey.
Dir Antoine Fuqua,
Pro Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Denzel
Washington, Alex Siskin, Steve Tisch, Antoine Fuqua, Mace Neufeld, Tony
Eldridge and Michael Sloan, Screenplay
Richard Wenk, Ph Oliver Wood, Pro Des Naomi Shohan, Ed Conrad Buff, Music Harry Gregson-Williams, Costumes
Jenny Gering.
Columbia Pictures/Escape Artists/Zhiv Productions/Mace Neufeld Productions/Picture Farm-Sony Pictures.
120 mins. USA. 2018. Rel: 17 August 2018. Cert. 15.