The Great Equalizer is a 2014 action-thriller film. The plot is based on the eponymous television series of the eighties of the last century. The director of the picture was Antoine Fukua, and the main roles were played by Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz and Melissa Leo. The film was successful at the box office, but received mixed reviews from critics. In 2018, the sequel of the picture was released.
Primary source
The series "The Great Equalizer" was broadcast on CBS from 1985 to 1989. He talks about the former operative of an unnamed government agency, Robert McCall, who decides to use his specific skills to fight crime and protect ordinary people.
The series was very popular, but was closed after the fourth season due to problems with material rights and conflicts between the channel and the manufacturing company.
History of creation
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the idea of full-length adaptation of the popular series has matured in Hollywood. Designed for large screens, the film The Great Equalizer was originally supposed to be shot by British director Paul McGuigan, known for his work on the crime comedy The Lucky Number of Slevin and the popular TV series Sherlock. Soon, however, the rights to the project were sold to another studio, and the script was completely rewritten by Paul Haggis, who also had a hand in creating scripts for the James Bond films (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) and directed the Oscar-winning drama Collision.
In the early stages of tape production, they planned to call on Robert McCall the role of Gerard Butler, Russell Crowe. The latter, by the way, for some time was even officially attached to the project. However, soon the shooting was again canceled, until the script fell into the hands of Denzel Washington, who decided to play a major role in the film.
Plot
Robert McCall is a former operative of a government agency not named in the film who left his past life for his wife, who died shortly before the events of the film. He lives a modest life, works in a hardware store and spends nights in a cafe near his home reading books. It was there that he met a young prostitute Alina.
When she ends up in intensive care with severe injuries, McCall decides to meet with her pimp named Slavi. The man offers to buy the girl’s freedom for $ 9,800, and after the refusal brutally kills Slav and all his people.
The boss of the Russian mafia sends its main specialist to solve the problems of Teddy to search for the guilty. At this time, McCall continues to help people, in particular, punishes two corrupt police officers who terrorized the area, and returns the ring stolen from the cashier of the store in which he works.
After some time, Teddy begins to suspect McCall, who was spotted on surveillance cameras in a brothel. He tries to kidnap him, however Robert kills his henchman and escapes. He meets with former intelligence colleagues and gets all the information he needs about Teddy.
After returning, McCall begins methodically destroying the business of the Russian mafia, and also sends information to the FBI about the relations of corrupt politicians with a criminal organization. Boss Teddy instructs him to urgently kill Robert. Then he, along with several henchmen, takes hostage McCall's colleagues in the store. Robert arrives at the scene and, not without difficulty, with the help of a guard, Ralphi neutralizes all criminals, including Teddy himself.
After that, McCall arrives in Moscow, where he kills the head of the Russian mafia. Alina, after recovering, finds a job and starts life anew, while Robert continues to help people using her special skills.
Producer
The director of the picture, at the suggestion of Denzel Washington himself, was directed by Antoine Fukua. He already worked with the actor on the crime drama Training Day, which earned Washington the second Academy Award in his career.
After this film, Fukua’s career was stalled, several of his ambitious projects, such as the tears of the sun, the historical epic King Arthur and the crime drama Brooklyn Police, showed themselves poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews. For him, the Great Equalizer became a kind of return ticket to Hollywood.
Actors
The main role in the film was played by Denzel Washington, two-time winner of the Oscar, known for his films Valor, Malcolm X, Not Caught - Not a Thief, Training Day, Anger, Deja Vu and many others. . At the time of the release of the picture, the actor was 59 years old, which did not stop him from convincingly depicting an action hero on the screen. In reviews of the Great Equalizer, both critics and viewers often praised Washington's work in the first place.
The role of Alina was performed by Chloe Grace Moretz, known for the action movie "Kick-Ass". Initially, the role was written for the actress a little older, but Chloe showed herself perfectly at the audition, and the director decided to make the heroine younger.
The main villain was played by New Zealand actor Martin Chokash. He also played negative roles in the action movie Three X and Lincoln: The Vampire Hunter.
Oscar winner Laureate Mellisa Leo and Bill Pullman, known for his role as US President in the blockbuster Independence Day, appeared as McCall's former colleagues.
Premiere and reviews
The film performed well at the box office, raising nearly two hundred million dollars with a production budget of 55 million. Reviews of the film "The Great Equalizer" among professional critics were not completely positive; according to the rating of the Rotten Tomatoes website, 60 percent of critics wrote positive reviews of the film.
Viewers rated the film slightly higher. According to IMDB, the picture currently has a rating of 7.2 points. Reviews of the Great Equalizer from ordinary viewers are generally slightly better.
For Sony, the film was the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history. In addition, the percentage of positive reviews about The Great Equalizer from professional critics is also the best indicator for this kind of Sony-made films.
Sequel
After a great rental and good reviews, the studio immediately gave the green light to the production of the sequel. Denzel Washington played McCall again, for him this is the first sequel in his career. Fukua returned to the director's chair, for which the first part became one of the best films in his career. "Great Equalizer - 2" was released in the summer of 2018.
The film again proved to be excellent at the box office, only slightly worse than the first picture. Reviews of the Great Equalizer 2 are generally slightly worse, but the percentage of freshness on Rotten Tomatoes is still 51%. Critics criticize the script, but praise the production of action scenes and the acting work of Washington.