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Things I’m not proud of.
I promised someone I love very much that I would never go back to being that person.
But for you, I’ll make an exception.
McCall is a highly trained killer, as evidenced by the bloody glasses he places on the table.
Washingtons McCall is a former Marine and DIA assassin who retired for a quiet life in Boston.
In other words, hes about to kill a lot of bad guys.
For example, This actor is one of the greatest of his generation.
That phrase is used too often on actors who dont deserve that recognition.
Washington is one of the rare cases where the statement holds.
For the first 20 years of his career, Washington was associated with his riveting dramatic performances.
Washingtons confidence and bravado jump off the screen, luring audiences in like a moth to a flame.
Thats the Denzel charm we all know and love.
With a stacked dramatic resume, its easy to forget that Washington has another life in the action genre.
The Equalizer perfectly combines Washingtons dramatic presence with action in the best way possible.
Washington brings a stoicism and sternness to McCall that few of his contemporaries can compete with.
Washington can keep up with dramatic heavyweights like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
Washington can also hold his own with action giants like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Yet youre not going to see Pacinco doing The Magnificent Seven and Stallone acting in The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Washingtons versatility sets him apart and puts him in rarified air.
The re-emergence of vigilante films in pop culture
Why are vigilante films so popular?
Most (sane) people would agree that murder is bad.
These films came during civil unrest in the shadow of the Vietnam War.
As crime rates dropped and gun control became a polarizing issue, vigilante films slowly disappeared in the 1980s.
There was suddenly no need for vigilante justice.
Its easy to link the re-emergence of vigilante films to a post-9/11 world and Americans disaffection with the wars.
Frankly, this genre never went away; it evolved.
Vigilante heroes are no longer just people operating outside of the law to seek justice.
Many vigilantes want to change the entire system.
Look at Christopher Nolans Dark Knight trilogy.
Bruce Wayne is motivated by the death of his parents to become Batman.
However, he wants to rid Gotham of crime and evil, not just kill his parents murderer.
For Quentin Tarantino, he exacts vengeance on the Nazis in his alternate history warm film, Inglourious Basterds.
Vigilante themes aside, at the end of the day, entertainment conquers all.
Turning Washington into a one-man-killing machine that takes down the Russian mob is porn for action fans.
The kills are brutal, the fights are vicious, and the story is action-packed.
Watching McCall inflict pain on his enemies is as entertaining as satisfying.
This easy-to-digest premise is why The Equalizer spawned two sequels and a television reboot.
The Equalizer 3 may have been billed as the final installment.
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