The Equalizer 2 叛諜裁判2 (2018) - USA
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
Denzel Washington is at his dependable best as the action lead in the “equalizer” hit man that aims to put the wrong things right. Picking up from where he left off in the efficient original, the film takes no prisoners and remains direct, harsh and tough when dealing with criminals and people making bad and wrong decisions in life and crimes. I enjoy the way, director Antoine Fuqua kept the tension moments extremely well. The scene where young neighbour played by Ashton Sanders hide in Denzel’s apartment hideout area, where the killers roaming near remains the film’s best tense and classic sequence.
Denzel Washington shows why he remains an long time A-list star for crime action thrillers. In this film, we see Washington goes through tough and direct action scenes one after another as he plays the vigilante justice role with ease and presence. Pedro Pascal is given plenty of quality screen to play the former partner in crime turned villain. Meanwhile, youngster Ashton Sanders plays the young high schooler and next door neighbour in the midst of local gang trouble with a mix of both naivety and simply a big growing up with dreams.
All in all, “The Equalizer 2” works for majority of its duration, the final standoff could have been far more extravagant given all the premises and situations that led up to it. It is always fantastic to see Washington dishing up the action and making himself a easy hero to root for. Director Antoine Fuqua does well in making a sequel that matches the intensity and engagement factor of the original. As far for this kind of film is concerned, this film works in seamless formula fashion.
I rated it 7.5/10