Celebrity Nooz: The Equalizer 2

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Movie Title: The Equalizer 2

Year Released: 2018

Rated: R

Runtime: 2h 1min

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: Richard Wenk

Starring: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Orson Bean, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Scarfe, Sakina Jaffrey, Kazy Tauginas, Garrett Golden

Review: Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall - The Equalizer, a man with a mysterious past that spends his present dispensing his distinct brand of justice on those that have wronged the innocent. But now, when one of McCall's dearest friends has been victimized, how far will he go to make sure that those responsible get exactly what they have coming to them?

Sequels can be hard, especially when the first film has so clearly set one up. Well, The Equalizer 2 simply ignores that fact. I truly believe that you can watch The Equalizer 2 without having seen The Equalizer. I wouldn't recommend it, but it could be done.

However, the two films are very much alike in the sense of Denzel's McCall character, his current profession, this time as an "Uber" driver, keeping him in contact with various sub-plot characters, his helping out those around him that he establishes relationships with, and then beating, breaking, and brutalizing bad guys like it's as easy as taking a breath.

I kind of like the sequel a bit more than the original because it's much darker and more of a personal story for the McCall character which certainly makes the stakes much higher and much more engaging for the audience. The acting, action, and thrills are all first-rate. This is certainly not a lazy, retread of the first film, but a story of a character trying to be who he wants to be and having a tragedy permanent shake that up, but then ultimate forcing him to be the man he truly is. It's quite interesting.

My only real gripe is that it takes quite a long time for the plot to kick in, but when it does, Sweet Georgia Brown!, Denzel gets down and dirty as he shows the villains that they all made the worst decision in the history of bad decisions when they crossed his deadly and dangerous Robert McCall.

Action fans, Denzel fans, and fans of the first film are in for a rough and tough sequel that delivers on the promise that there is no equal. The Equalizer 2 is a sequel that's better than the original and certainly makes this fan hope that The Equalizer 3 isn't too far behind.

Stars (out of 4):

Fun Fact: After over fifty-five film and television credits, this was Denzel Washington's first sequel.

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