The Equalizer (2014) - Stylish B-Movie Leveled Up Thanks to Denzel Being Denzel

The Equilizer is a one-man army, as unstoppable as Arnold in Commando. Five guys, ten, the entire Russian mob... no matter, this guy stays cool and collected. That's really the movie. The plot is entirely inconsequential. 

Denzel plays Denzel-retired-secret-OPS-guy working at a Home Depot in Boston. He befriends a Russian hooker and she turns up beaten half-to-death. He finds out who did it and seeks revenge. 

It's rare for an actor to captivate the screen like Denzel Washington. I dare say he commands the screen, actually.  Any other actor in this part and I don't think it would have worked as well, and certainly wouldn't have garnered two sequels and a spin-off TV show. It would have been a B-movie streaming movie forgotten in the bowels of Netflix's library. 

Another highlight is the director. I like Antoine Fuqua's work, and he does take fairly generic scripts and gets the most out of them. He uses lighting well, his shots are set well, and he uses music exceptionally. I could go for a little less slo-mo, but that's nitpicking. 

A random stranger's opinion - It's an average movie raised up a half-notch by the lead and director. If you like revenge movies with an affable, bulletproof character, this is right up your alley.  

Grade: C+