The Equalizer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Equalizer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 20, 2014

The Equalizer appears to be the first new release movie to debut on Blu-ray that has been directly linked to press centered on the Sony hacking scandal. According to news reports, an unnamed producer -- an omission which seems to be the exception to the air-it-all hacker strategy -- claimed that, while Washington is "the best actor of his generation," his skin color might damage the movie in overseas box offices, stating "I believe that the international motion picture audience is racist – in general pictures with an African American lead don’t play well overseas" (here's a direct link to the full news story and broader context). It's not exactly terror threats and all-out movie cancellations and fragile international relations, but still an unfortunate causality, so to speak, of the new flow of confidential information out of Culver City. It's also unfortunate, because the movie is terrific and Washington is, again, stellar. Based on a 1980s television program of the same name, the film pairs Washington with an old friend in Director Antoine Fuqua (Tears of the Sun, Olympus Has Fallen). The end result isn't a masterpiece but certainly a fun, slick, and exceptionally well made movie that doesn't simply re-imagine a 1980s television show but that also hearkens back to that same decade's penchant for precision Action films like Die Hard and Commando while also exploring some deeper themes below the surface.

"I'm awesome in any country."

Robert McCall (Washington) lives alone, rarely, if at all, sleeping, and doing everything he does -- from folding up a tea bag in a napkin for later usage to brushing off his shoes -- with unmatched precision and muscle memory. He works at a home improvement warehouse, doing largely menial tasks -- stocking shelves, cutting wood -- but he has taken a pudgy employee (Johnny Skourtis) who wishes to become the store's security guard under his wing. McCall spends his nights at a 24-hour diner, reading classic literature. There, he gets to know a young prostitute and aspiring singer/songwriter named Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz) who he comes to realize works for Russian pimps who badly mistreat her. When she's beaten to a point that she must spend some time in the hospital, McCall makes it his mission to secure her freedom, one way or another. He ultimately comes to realize that he's not dealing with midlevel thugs but rather an organized crime empire that sends an unflappable and unstoppable hit man who goes by the name "Teddy" (Marton Csokas) to stop him.

Though Washington and Fuqua don't recapture the same magic from their Training Day time together, their latest collaboration is nevertheless of high quality, a full, satisfying entertainer of the darker variety that in many ways, then, reflects the grit and seediness of Training Day but here with more readily defined heroes and villains. While Training Day played in gray areas that slowly evolved to a more clear delineation of right and wrong, The Equalizer's heroes and villains are made known from the outset, and that separation, in this case, makes the movie one that the audience can get behind right away in a classic good-versus-evil story. At the same time, though, The Equalizer plays around with themes that don't push away the moral clarity but that instead give shape to it, that give the hero a purpose beyond raw vigilantism or standing up for the little guy, so to speak. Ideas on one's place in the world and an individual's shaping through past experience are explored in metaphor and are presented as the driving forces not so much behind McCall's remarkable ability to dole out justice but instead as moral justifications for a violent response to violence, even if it spins out of control and turns into a bloodbath well beyond his initial contacts with wrongdoers. The movie, then, isn't very remarkable on the surface, playing with simple themes that have played central before, but Washington and Fuqua add a depth to the main character that so often feels missing in other, similar pictures.

That character development is critical in not so much rallying the audience around Washington's McCall -- people will gravitate to him, anyway, because he's the good guy -- but in the positive reinforcements it engenders, thereby better defining the character and giving the movie and the world and people that inhabit it a greater sense of worth beyond stock. The film precisely defines Washington's Robert McCall in the first five minutes and spends the next fifteen settling him into a routine both at work and at the diner, two locations which are home to two people who play key roles in the movie. The McCall character isn't so much novel, but he is so well developed that he'll feel like a friend rather than some intangible figure who lives only to kill people to finely-tuned movie magic fight choreography. On one side, he's depicted as the ultimate friend, someone who is encouraging and won't stop politely and humorously nudging to get the best out of someone. He's an honest, caring man, someone who lives to benefit others rather than himself, all qualities he takes to the other extreme where he doles out justice to those who would hurt his innocent friends. His violent side makes use of the same precision and disregard for personal gain that defines his daily life. His is a fascinating dichotomy of the same characteristics spilling over into two completely different types of person that inhabit the same body. In essence, he carries the tenderness of his friends and the ruthlessness of his enemies in all that he does. Better hope to be his friend, to see his smile rather than his "you're dead, and we both know it" gaze.

Ultimately, the movie is about two unstoppable forces -- McCall and Teddy -- that collide seemingly not by chance but rather by fate, a fate that has led each of them to one another through a body of work that's produced terrible results on both sides, but with one the beneficiary of a conscience and a soul that would rather fight for values rather than fight for money or some inflated sense of self-worth. Both McCall and Teddy live to make the world a better place for some by making it hell for others. Where they differ, of course, is in their definitions of "better" and "hell" and the people they strive to improve or degrade along the way. They engage in battle -- Teddy aided by plenty of additional bodies for McCall to destroy -- to seriously bloody result in an end confrontation that's molded in a classic "stealth kill" sort of manner and in an environment that provides the hero with plenty of creative options at his disposal to remove his opponents from the battlefield. However, their finest encounter comes not with fists clenched but rather at a sit-down meting that's one of the movie's finest sequences, a meeting in which McCall gains the upper hand by way of his unflinching absence of fear even in the presence of what amounts to the projection of the devil incarnate.

The Equalizer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Equalizer isn't a particularly showy movie. Much of it takes place at night or in lower lighting conditions. That doesn't mean it's not a looker. Sony's 1080p transfer is, in fact, gorgeous. Those critical nighttime black levels are inky deep and accurate. Nighttime exteriors sparkle, particularly when contrasted with bright light sources, like the yellow illuminated signage above the diner or streetlights reflecting off wet pavement. Colors, expectedly, aren't loud. They're subtly nuanced in darker scenes with some nice popping yellows and greens in some of the brighter shots, particularly in well-lit home store interiors (the yellows) and sprawling green grass (McCall's visit to an old friend's estate). Detail is consistently striking. The image reveals skin textures with remarkable ease, with close-ups particularly efficient. The image is sharp and crisp with only trace bits of edge softness. The digital image often can be mistaken for film; it's a little flat but never pasty or excessively glossy. Skin tones are even but largely dependent on influencing light sources. The picture features no perceptible evidence of banding, blockiness, noise, or other eyesores. In short, this is a striking Blu-ray image from Sony.

The Equalizer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Equalizer arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It's impressively immersive and wide, easily pulling the listener into every environment and featuring plenty of discrete and motion sound effects. The track's first example of precise sound placement comes at the beginning when a blaring alarm clock's stationary position pans through the stage and lightly fades in tandem with the camera's movement away from it and towards another area of the apartment. It's a hint of what's to come, with trucks later rumbling through the listening area, the heavy clanking sound of industrial lights powering off row-by-row in a superstore, or explosive concussions waving through the stage. Action scenes are particularly efficient, with well-placed sounds of chaos pouring in from every speaker, whether crashes and shouts or, in one critical scene, pouring water filling every speaker. The track also carries superb atmospheric support pieces. The home supply store springs to sonic life with a realistic collection of sounds, like buzzing saws, beeping machinery, rolling cars, customer chatter, and loudspeaker announcements. Likewise, more subtle city ambience is effortlessly integrated throughout. Bass is a potent ally, with two separate explosions sending a hefty, tight, and rattly jolt of power into the stage. Dialogue is silky smooth and evenly presented from the center. This is a reference grade track all the way.

The Equalizer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Equalizer contains "Vengeance Mode" and a handful of short featurettes that offer some smart insight into the film. A UV digital copy code is included in the Blu-ray case.

• Vengeance Mode (1080p, DTS-HD MA 7.1, 2:35:00): This is an in-film making-of/behind-the-scenes/commentary that occasionally cuts into the movie to present viewers with full-screen features, including interviews with Denzel Washington and Antonie Fuqua and clips from the shoot.
• Inside The Equalizer (1080p, 7:51): A look at bringing the television show to the screen and the title. However, it primarily focuses on the Robert McCall character.
• Denzel Washington: A Different Kind of Superhero (1080p, 6:56): This piece examines the positive qualities Denzel brought to the set and his portrayal of the lead character, including how he molded the character along the way.
• Equalizer Vision: Antoine Fuqua (1080p, 7:06): As the title suggests, this piece examines Fuqua's contributions to the film, his work style, his vision for the action scenes, directing Denzel, shaping the McCall character, and more.
• Children of the Night (1080p, 5:23): This piece focuses on Chloë Grace Moretz, her character, and her portrayal thereof.
• One Man Army: Training and Fighting (1080p, 6:40): A look at the film's physical demands, fight choreography, Denzel's performance of his own stunts and fights, and the character's use of tools other than a gun to battle his enemies.
• Home Mart: Taking Care of Business One Bolt at a Time (1080p, 2:11): A funny little store promo featuring McCall in action.
• Photo Gallery (1080p): Still images from the set.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

The Equalizer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Equalizer is superficially fun in a classic "revenge" or "vigilante" 1970s and 1980s style (slicked up for today's viewers, however), but it's much more satisfying than many of its kind considering its exceptional character development below the obvious good-and-evil surface. Washington's portrayal of Robert McCall ranks amongst his best performances, the actor brilliantly balancing a man who is markedly different from what he appears to be but who, at the same time, brings all of his positive characteristics to his violent side. He's a quintessential hero in the modern world, skilled at his craft but a man who would rather help a friend by encouraging them rather than simply destroying their enemies, something he will do, however, if the situation demands it. It's another excellent pairing between Washington and Fuqua, putting the franchise in good hands with word of a potential sequel coming down the line. Sony's excellent Blu-ray release of The Equalizer features top-end video and audio. A fair bit of bonus content is included. Consider this a late-arriving short list candidate for the best of 2014 list. Very highly recommended.