Equalizer, The MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -4

Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz. Action/crime/thriller.

FILM SYNOPSIS: A man believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and has dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her.

PREVIEW REVIEW: I loved the TV series back in the 1980s. It was a great concept and it certainly sits well with pulp fiction fans who wish a vigilante would bring havoc to those who brutalize the defenseless. But it’s not the 1980s anymore, so such stories can’t be told without the storytellers assaulting us near as much as the villains do to their victims. That said, today’s filmgoers are so accustomed to R-content that they merely sit there, stuffing themselves with popcorn while gore galore further desensitizes them.

Such is the case, with this reboot.

But along with the excessive violence and the brutal language, as well as some sexual references that center around a teenage call girl, there is also a certain amount of intrigue as we try to ascertain just who and what Robert McCall was and is. There’s a certain cat and mouse mystery that invokes pulp fiction of the past (The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon).

As always, Denzel Washington brings a dynamic to the screen each time he appears. And young Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo, Kick Ass) once again proves that she has talent beyond her years. We don’t see that much of her in the film, which may have been a mistake on the filmmaker’s part. Like Denzel, her screen persona is electric.

The film holds our attention (though it is too long at 131 minutes). There’s some humor to balance out the brutality and some wit from the lead character who seems part James Bond, part Jason Bourne, and part Sherlock Holmes. But really? Did this film have to contain so much gore and 87 uses of the f-word?

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Columbia Pictures