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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Screen Scene
Equalizer 2 A sequel that adds more to the dark past of the vigilante while setting up a brighter future. There Is No Equal A former government agent, thought dead, has resurfaced to bring unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed who are fortunate enough to come to his attention. When someone close to him is in need of such justice he goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure those responsible pay for their heinous crime. Robert McCall is a former C.I.A. operative who now works for Lyft and deals in vigilante justice for those who have no one to defend them, but he surpasses his previous efforts when it is for someone he loves. Susan Plummer is a friend of McCall and an investigator for the Central Intelligence Agency who is called out of semi-retirement to consult on a murder-suicide in Brussels involving an asset. Miles Whittaker is a young man who lives with his mother in the same building as McCall with ties to a local gang in the middle of a turf war, but has a dream of becoming an artist. Dave York is McCall’s former partner who went along with Plummer to Brussels to investigate the murder-suicide and ends up dealing with more than he bargained for while trying to tie up loose ends. Equalizer 2 is a sequel that gives the viewer a visceral infusion of justice that all good vigilante thrillers tend to deliver. What this offering has in its favor are mature actors and actresses able to imbue the standard proceedings with a sense of gritty realism that brings the audience to a place of raw emotion as events unfold. Denzel Washington is able to truly commit to this character for a second time in his first sequel in a way that reminds you what you enjoyed most about him playing the role the first time around. Antoine Fuqua gives us some imaginative scenes of operatic violence with his first time directing a sequel which shows he still has some flashy tricks to show the viewer in this particular world. Richard Wenk produces a script that is not his first foray into sequels but is his first screenplay based on work that he has originally written and makes this venture feel more like the world created by Michael Sloan and Richards Lindheim in the 80s television series. If they choose to make this a trilogy they have laid the groundwork for some interesting stories to be told that are topical and in need of telling for those who feel voiceless in the modern landscape. I rate this movie a rating of 3 & 1/2 out of 5. In Theaters
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