Robert McCall leads a simple, ordered existence, working in a hardware store and living a socially balanced life. But behind the quiet façade hides a violent man with a troubled past, who has renounced using force after the death of his wife. A promise he will have to break to help Teri, a teenage prostitute, Chloe Grace Moretz. But in doing so, McCall attracts the attention and the wrath of Russian mobsters…

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In the wake of two Oscars for a solid and serious filmography, in the second half of his career Denzel Washington has taken on the role of Hollywood action hero in movies like Man on Fire, Déjà vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, The Book of Eli, Unstoppable, Safe House and 2 Guns. Like Liam Neeson before him, the actor lends an incontestable intensity to even the most basic story, saving it from being complete trash. Antoine Fuqua should therefore thank the star for adding a bit of polish to The Equalizer, adapted from the kitschy 80’s TV show.

At over two hours, the premise behind The Equalizer is in no way too smart for its target audience: lovers for simple Hollywood action flicks that are well-filmed but devoid of any depth whatsoever – it abandons Teri along the way to phone in its obvious ending. Even if there are worse movies out there, The Equalizer remains an uninteresting studio product.