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Equalizer 2, The
Stars: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Scarfe. Ashton Sanders, Sakina Jaffrey, Orson Bean
Director: Antoine Fuqua
A further adventure of Robert McCall (Washington), part-time cab driver and part-time government enforcer, in a standard, thoroughly routine thriller.
We're treated to a couple of pre-mainstory incidents, James Bond-style, that emphasise how deadly McCall is, so we expect the bad guys to take a licking when McCall's contact and friend (Leo) is killed while investigating the deaths of a Belgian agent and his wife.
In his spare time, McCall does good deeds while remaining the ice-cold 'equalizer' of the title, and becomes a father figure to an artistic delinquent he calls Mouse (Sanders), presumably in affectionate tribute to a character created by Washington's favourite author Walter Mosley. There's a whiff of Mosley here, but it's smothered by a conventional, shoot-em-up story in which there's never any doubt that McCall will bring the enemy agents to justice or, rather, unpleasant deaths.
Washington coasts through his role, doubtless saving the pennies for a more personal project. A climax set in a town abandoned in the face of impending flood waters brings things to a predictably violent conclusion.
David Quinlan
USA 2018. UK Distributor: Sony (Columbia). Colour by Company 3.
116 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 2, Swearing 3.
Review date: 18 Dec 2018