1/17/2024 0 Comments Equalizer two![]() In fact, the grand finale showcasing the ultimate mano a mano between McCall and Dave comes off as both predictable and fundamentally preposterous, no matter how unusual its location, that being a coastal Massachusetts town (actually Brant Rock, an hour south of Boston) during a hurricane-force storm. From here on, we could as easily be watching Dirty Harry, Rambo or John McClane, so generic do McCall’s actions become at this point. Having set young Miles on the right path by getting him to spruce up their apartment building rather than hanging with gangsta types, McCall from here on dedicates himself to tracking down the evident killer, none other than his old partner Dave ( Pedro Pascal, of TV’s Narcos). The fact that one set of victims includes Susan plunges McCall into action, all the more so when it becomes evident that he’s on the hit list as well.Īlong with the fact that McCall has by now moved on from Coates to reading Proust, the man’s meditative, cloistered side essentially disappears at this point, which turns him into an essentially conventional action hero. The purity of mind and pared-down simplicity of his life are what mark the man as a special character these days, anyone - from little kids to old-timers wondrously made to look younger - can be an action star, but no others come off like an urban contemporary Siddhartha.Īccording to The Equalizer 2, the place not to be theses days is Brussels, where repeated sets of multiple murders of upscale officials at their homes are being committed by some ruthless commandos of unknown origin. He also remains close to his former CIA handler, Susan Plummer ( Melissa Leo, percolating buoyantly), who knew his late wife, to whom McCall remains reverentially true. He now works as a Lyft driver and seems more outwardly dedicated to those in need of a helping hand, including a Holocaust survivor (Orson Bean) and a local kid, Miles (Ashton Sanders, of Moonlight and the upcoming Native Son, in which he plays Bigger Thomas), who he sees getting sucked in by the wrong crowd. ![]() The incident feels entirely arbitrary but serves as a reminder that McCall was designed to fulfill all manner of righteous revenge fantasies and is still able to deliver.īack home in Boston, McCall has moved into a more commodious, somewhat less spartan apartment than he occupied four years ago. Devine, of Waterville, is a former stage and film actor.That the old veteran is still at the top of his game is apparent here in the Bond-like opening, in which McCall, bearded and dressed in native garb aboard a speeding train in Turkey and conspicuously shown to be reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, enters the club car and in short order dispatches three swarthy thugs. It hurts to say it, but I doubt that there will be a succession of “The Equalizer” films. Harry Gregson-Williams’s score isn’t as heart pumping as the Bourne film score by John Powell, but it will suffice. Oliver Wood’s camera work plays a huge part of putting the OMG in this film. Hooray.įuqua’s direction is as usual, top drawer, a glove compartment of throat clutching and dry mouth moments. Those of my generation will be pleased to see an old friend, game show host and stand up comic Orson Bean, now 90 years old and still delightful. ![]() The closest McCall comes to Jason Bourne is a palm wetting OMG ride with a knife carrying killer in his Lyft car. See if you can spot the villain early on. Oscar Winning Melissa Leo, his old CIA boss from the original “The Equalizer,” is back to help him out. It’s too long, not well handled, but it’s good old fashioned shoot out fun, and a page torn from “High Noon.” Miles will figure into the dark rain-swept finale in an abandoned beach resort, in a heart-stopping scene. Miles Whittaker (Ashton Sanders of “Moonlight”) an art student trying to avoid gang connections, is plucked from the dark side and set to meaningful work by McCall. ![]()
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