Movie · 2018 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 2h 1m · R · English
Curator score: 2.2/10 (467.5K ratings)
There is no equal.
Overview
Robert McCall, who serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance when his former partner is murdered.
Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Orson Bean, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Scarfe, Sakina Jaffrey, Kazy Tauginas, Garrett Golden, Adam Karst, Alican Barlas, Rhys Olivia Cote, Tamara Hickey, Ken Baltin, Colin Allen, Antoine de Lartigue, Abigail Marlowe, Jim Loutzenhiser, Alessandra Noelle Rosenfeld
Where to watch
AMC, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A competent, watchable Denzel vehicle with a few solid action beats and a strong lead performance, but it’s less inventive and less satisfying than the first film. The plot is overextended, the emotional stakes are murky, and the movie often feels like it’s drifting between vigilante thriller, community drama, and revenge story without fully committing to any one mode.
Best for
Denzel Washington fans
viewers who like low-key, methodical action thrillers
people who enjoy vigilante justice stories with a moral code
fans of Antoine Fuqua’s gritty mainstream style
Skip if
you want tightly plotted action
you expect the sequel to escalate the first film’s premise
you’re looking for a fresh or especially clever thriller
you’re impatient with thinly written villains and convoluted side plots
Overview
The Equalizer 2 is built around the appeal of watching Denzel Washington move through a world like a man who has already seen the ending. He’s calm, controlled, and dangerous, and the movie knows that’s enough to keep many viewers engaged even when the story starts to wobble. The best scenes are the quiet ones, where McCall’s routine and his sense of duty give the film a steadier pulse than the revenge framework does.
Worth noting
But the sequel struggles to find a clear purpose beyond giving McCall another set of enemies to punish. The mystery is padded, the emotional turns are undercooked, and the action can feel oddly routine for a character who should be terrifyingly efficient. It has the shape of a hard-edged thriller, but not always the momentum.
Bottom line
Still, there’s an easy appeal here if you’re in the mood for a polished, mid-budget star vehicle with a grim mood and a few satisfying bursts of violence. It’s not the kind of sequel that improves on its predecessor, but it does preserve the franchise’s core pleasure: watching Denzel Washington make justice look inevitable.
Top Letterboxd reviews
demi adejuyigbe · 3094 likes
DENZEL WASHINGTON: ...Would you like something to drink?ASHTON SANDERS: Yeah.DENZEL: Come on in. [he enters]DENZEL: Ice tea or water?ASHTON SANDERS: Pshh, what I look like, Jackie Chan?
Absolutely nothing in this movie makes sense, but I cannot stop thinking about this particular exchange and what the fuck it was supposed to mean. I have googled the words and the only results are other people trying to figure out what it means. Incredible.
Patrick Walsh (2.5★) · 1139 likes
Why was this not called The Sequelizer?
matt lynch (2★) · 758 likes
Lowest rating I've ever given a Lyft driver.
karen h. (2★) · 647 likes
the final fight is like ... a video game level
Josh Lewis (2★) · 526 likes
Denzel equalizes like six people in this 2h movie, two of which are in the opening scene, and spends the rest of the movie just doing valuable community service and being a generally good dude. I mean I guess the community service is supposed to count as equalizing cause he's "setting stuff right" or whatever but my definition of it was the one very clearly established in the first movie where Equalization only comes when you hang a dude using… more Denzel equalizes like six people in this 2h movie, two of which are in the opening scene, and spends the rest of the movie just doing valuable community service and being a generally good dude. I mean I guess the community service is supposed to count as equalizing cause he's "setting stuff right" or whatever but my definition of it was the one very clearly established in the first movie where Equalization only comes when you hang a dude using… more
1999 · Action, Drama, Crime · 1h 40m · R · Curator 1.3/10 (154.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A hard-edged revenge movie with a cold, transactional attitude toward violence.