Dateworthy? “Equalizer 2”

Is “Equalizer 2” worth a trip to the theater on a date night? Eh, maybe.

The sequel to Denzel Washington’s 2014 action-movie hit does feature a universally appealing star playing a sympathetic former CIA agent. He uses his skills at investigations and killing bad guys. He also provides vigilante services for average people whom the law can’t help. There’s some deeply moving moments in this film that digs deeper than most action flicks. But “Equalizer 2” is hardly romantic. The weakly drawn villains and central plot make the film fairly forgettable – despite great action sequences.

Denzel Washington is one of Hollywood’s finest actors. Washington is a guy who can handle both serious drama in films like “Fences” and action in thrillers such as “Man on Fire” and “Safe House.” He brings the two genres together in a way that few others can. His skill adds serious moral weight to films most other movie stars would allow to just be laden with cheap thrills.

Aside from his villainous Oscar-winning turn in “Training Day,” perhaps the best example of Washington’s genre-blending is his 2014 hit “The Equalizer”. The film was surprisingly time in his lengthy career thus far to break $100 million at the US box office.  That success inspired Washington to make “The Equalizer 2”, which is the first sequel of his career. Judging by the huge response it received in landing in the top spot on the box office charts last weekend, it won’t be the last.

Turning killing skills life saving skills

Equalizer 2 || The sequel to Denzel Washington’s 2014 action-movie hit does feature a universally appealing star playing a sympathetic former CIA agent

In the “Equalizer” films, Washington plays a former CIA operative named Robert McCall. He made a deathbed promise to his wife that he would leave his shadowy, violent career behind. McCall was just starting to help others using both his investigative and fighting skills in the first movie. But the sequel begins on a train that’s hurtling through Turkey as McCall finds and confronts a man who kidnapped his daughter out of spite for his wife.

This first showdown comes fast and furious in the opening minutes. It’s reminiscent of a James Bond prologue that has nothing to do with the rest of the plot. Within five minutes of his return to Boston, McCall is busting up a smug group of young power brokers who drugged and assaulted a female intern. In filling his endless free time as a Lyft driver, we see that McCall subjects himself to sadness from all levels of society.

But then, out of nowhere, viewers see a group of thugs in an apartment in Brussels, Belgium. They shoot a wife and mother in the head before shoving the gun in her husband’s mouth to make it look like a murder-suicide. The only reason given for this horrific double murder is that the man’s name was on a list – a list that the movie never bothers to explain.

One has to guess that the husband was a CIA operative of some sort. McCall’s former agency associate Susan (Melissa Leo) appears in Brussels trying to solve the crime. Just as she’s about to have an idea about who the killers are, she’s attacked by two different thugs. The thugs wind up dead themselves in an explosion soon after.

Weak villains and plot holes (but powerful messages abound in subplots!)

Equalizer 2 || Weak villains and plot holes (but powerful messages abound in subplots!) 

McCall realizes that there’s something big at play and springs into action to avenge Susan’s death. But the revenge part of the story is barely fleshed out. Viewers never learn why anyone involved was killed in Brussels. The villains lack compelling motivation or even barely any personality. Weak villains are also a problem in another current thriller, “Skyscraper,” leaving one to wonder how studios can invest $60 million into “Equalizer 2” and $125 million on “Skyscraper” without insisting the stories are compelling on every level.

Read more: Dateworthy? “Skyscraper”

Thankfully, the action is expertly rendered. A climactic showdown amid a hurricane feels like it was created more for the wow factor than for any valid plot point. It’s doubly frustrating that screenwriter Richard Wenk settles for such poorly drawn villains and a flashy yet hollow climax. The film’s subplots are beautifully written and humane tales that give Washington and his fellow actors plenty to sink their teeth into.

The main subplot follows McCall as he tries to mentor a bright African-American teen named Miles (Ashton Sanders). Miles has incredible artistic ability, yet is undergoing extreme peer pressure to join a local gang. This story line results in a powerful monologue by McCall. He makes an impassioned case for Miles to show personal responsibility. McCall encourages Miles to break through the hopeless mindset that traps far too many young black men in our cities.

It seems clear that Washington and director Antoine Fuqua are a terrific team. They worked together previously on the first “Equalizer,” “Training Day,” and “The Magnificent Seven” reboot. The pair try to add valuable messages to their genre work. “The Equalizer 2” is an entertaining time at the movies. However, it’s not romantic at all. If they had only insisted on closing the plot holes and making a vivid villain, it could have been an outright classic.

The breakdown

Action: 9

Characters: 8

Plot: 7

Dialogue: 7

Emotions: 9

Overall: 40 out 50