Liam Neeson started it all in 2008. He turned up in Paris in search of his daughter who had been Taken, killed a pile of Albanians and saved the day. We all lapped it up. He became the go-to older action gentleman. Since then Kevin Costner and John Travolta have tried their hands at it in the fitfully fun 3 Days To Kill and the godawful I Am Wrath. Then Denzel Washington stepped up and starred in 2014's The Equalizer. A modern day reimagining of the classic Edward Woodward TV show. It was pretty damn entertaining and in places blisteringly violent. It wasn't entirely successful but it got the job done.
Robert McCall is an ex marine/spy living a quiet life in Boston. He divides his time between driving a cab, being a guardian angel to those in need and meting out violence to those who deserve punishment. Tragedy brushes his life during an investigation into the murder of a Defense department agent and Robert is once again compelled to brush off his murderous skills and take care of business.
I quite liked this but there's no denying there's a lot wrong with it. It's bizarrely paced for one and stuffed silly with subplots. It's ending is as cliched as you can get and it lacks the vicious crunchiness* of the first film. The lead character also feels so invincible at moments that it negates any bit of tension in the film as well. But all said and done it's Denzel Washington slicing and dicing bad guys and that's just something that will never get old. There's just something very enjoyable about seeing scumbags being chopped, harpooned, broken and even shredded with their own credit cards. These darkly entertaining moments help us forgive the shoddier aspects of the film.
*the version we're getting here has been snipped of a few moments of unpleasantness so the film could get a 15 cert here and in the UK
One thing is does better than the first film though is showing the smaller ways Robert helps people out. It was a core aspect of the original TV show that was largely forgotten in the first film. It's good to see not every problem has to have a violent solution and it humanises Robert when we see him directing a young neighbour away from a life of crime or helping an old man with his family issues. It does though lead to a weirdly lobsided tale when it pushes the vast majority of the violent action to end of the film. The finale just seems to arrive with a thud and out of the blue and it just feels jarring. Another interesting theme touched on is the notion that Robert is not too far removed from the bad guys he's butchering. A repeated line about names on paper shows that he's cut from the same cloth as his enemies but unlike them he's found a (somewhat) healthy way to channel his aggression. It adds a bit of depth that's usually missing in films of this ilk.
Denzel rocks it as he always does and is a lot more likable in this sequel. BTW this is the first sequel he's ever done. An unusual achievement in a 30+year career. His Robert is a lot less mopey this time around and even finds time for a smile. You'll enjoy his rare laughs as much as you'll enjoy the sight of him snapping an abuser's hand into dust. Ashton Sanders who was so good as teen Chiron in Moonlight brings a nice humanity to the film as his neighbour Miles and Pedro Pascal and Melissa Leo as old co-workers of Robert add a touch of class to proceedings, Leo especially. I wish she'd been in it more. I wish she was in everything more tbh.
If you like the first film you'll like this one too. It's a bit of crunchy nonsense that will entertain you for a couple of hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment