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The Equalizer (2014)
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This week on the Everything Actioncast, Zach, and Chris are joined by special guest Justin to dish out some vigilante justice and discuss 2014's The Equalizer, which came out ten years ago this week.
Denzel Washington plays Robert McCall, a former black ops operative trying to live a quiet life in Boston working at Home Mart (legally distinct from Home Depot). When a young woman he's befriended, Alina (Chloe Grace Moretz), is brutally beaten by her Russian pimp, Robert decides to use his skill set to "equalize" the situation and inadvertently starts a one-man war with the Russian mob. The Russian kingpin sends the ruthless enforcer Teddy (Marton Csokas) to remedy the problem. The guys talk about the mini Equalizer subplots in the movie, pre-Stranger Things scumbag David Harbour, Denzel's Sherlock Holmes vision, weaponized home improvement stores, and more.
Watch The Equalizer on Fubo, Paramount+, and the Roku Channel. Next week, Zach and Chris are kicking off an all-horror movie October with the 80s remake of The Blob, which is getting a limited edition 4K steelbook release.
You can find Justin on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/JJLomasEntertainment and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jjlomasentertainment
We want to hear your comments and feedback. Send them all to [email protected]. Also, let us know your suggestions for movies for us to discuss.
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Check us out on Twitter (@evaction), Facebook (www.facebook.com/everything.action), and Instagram (@everything.action).
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Everything Action Cast, the official podcast of EverythingAction.com.
00:00:18
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Everything Action Cast podcast week of September 23rd, 2024. I'm your I'm your co-host Chris.
Special Guest: Justin
00:00:27
Speaker
And this week we have a special guest, Justin. Hey y'all, how's it going?
The Equalizer 10th Anniversary Discussion
00:00:31
Speaker
Hey, and then ah we are dishing out justice this week and talking about The Equalizer, the 2014 Denzel movie, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, came out September 26, 2014, and kicked off a you know a trilogy of Denzel, just like brutally murdering people for to get to equalize things.
Impact on Revenge Action Genre
00:00:55
Speaker
ah yeah yeah like people it people need even though he did like it's ever every movie he' like he's rough to do it but then he like is like gradually gets it and he's like just goes completely over the top just like destroys entire criminal organizations I guess you could say it also started that revenge action genre because I did notice John Wick released one month later.
Denzel Washington's Action Filmography
00:01:16
Speaker
Well, I think take taken I think this is still a night like more of a thing. We're in like the we're in the wake of taken still. So of like unconventional action. It's like movie star coming out to do like a surprise action movie. Well, we know hasn't done any like did what didn't do like an action movie. I think i'm like around this time he was doing dramas. Yeah. What was he in?
Comparing 'Flight' and 'Sully'
00:01:40
Speaker
I mean, he was doing like American Gangster before this and then i wouldn't call that um explain oh this ah this's a reaction yeah
00:01:50
Speaker
what you say wasn't in like some sort of tom hanks playing movie or something like that oh yeah the one who is a drunk airp pan pilot top hans with that movie we flight i like for flight am i getting the two I know talking about. It was like... ah yeah like Tom X was in um Sully. ah I'm getting Sully in the flight movie.
Denzel's Role in 'The Equalizer' Series
00:02:09
Speaker
It was like the Armageddon and like Deep Impact thing, where I think Sully came out the year prior, and then ah Flight was like on to came out. Oh, so Flight came first? Safe House and Two Guns came out before this movie, so Deadzell was in full-on action mode still.
00:02:29
Speaker
Yeah, so like it wasn't quite a taken like surprise. like Yeah, it sounded like, oh man, it's look like like it was like a sean pen remember Sean Penn made that with the gunman? that was and I was like, Sean Penn's doing a taken movie? I saw the trailer, I forgot about it. I immediately forgot. Yeah, that was yeah that was it was a crazy sound. Everyone was trying to be like, Liam Neeson, be like, I can i can do my i can have my old my old man an action movie.
TV Show Vs. Movie Series
00:02:59
Speaker
yes But obviously, yeah, Denzel's been doing it for decades and, you know, is able to, like, do extremely well in this movie, and it obviously spawned two sequels. And it's it's based on the 1980s TV show um that starred, ah was it Edward... Edward Woodward? Which I don't think any of us have ever seen. No, I have not. A single episode
Production Decisions and Rights
00:03:22
Speaker
of? I know, Chris, you said, before we started recording, you said you want you've seen the Queen of Tifa version, which also came out after this, which I don't think has ever been, like... Has there ever been, like,
00:03:30
Speaker
a movie series and a TV series and they're the most drastically different from each other going out at the same time. I feel it's like it's such crazy. Do you remember the Taken TV series? I heard about that. Yeah. It was like Taken and then like what was it like the Sniper one? like Shooter. But I feel like those go after their movies. like It was a couple years after their movies came out. and then but Yeah. this is like like like The Queen TV show was on the air and then it's like it was a two and three are in theaters. like That's true. It's like the the show coming out during the the production of the movies and the ideas of it. And I don't know. It was it had to be some right issue where CBS still retain the rights to make the show. But then they didn't. Do they not believe the movie was going
Speculating Media Adaptations
00:04:18
Speaker
to be OK? Like, you know, it just seems like a crazy thing because what if but one sunk and then it like it didn't do good, but then sank the other project? Yeah.
00:04:29
Speaker
I feel like that could happen if it's like, okay, well, I don't like any of these versions in their backup plan. And then it's like, okay, bold thing is, oh, what about the equalizer of the comic series?
Character Analysis: Robert McCall
00:04:40
Speaker
Yeah, it's like, wow, mixed media. CBS is just like rolling down the equalizer. But that's what you notice it like the next it's going to be equalizer anime series.
00:04:51
Speaker
i could see but netflix is doing that all the time now yeah but that's if like this's if they were smart about a campaign of like you know how like um star wars did the like multiple like media forces where it's like ah toyline the game comic book like all that was in the same universe so like you got to explore more expansive stuff of the same yeah yeah equalizer missed that opportunity like it's crazy because the name is called equalizer so everything should have been fucking equal where it's like you know like okay we're gonna like do this and then carry this arc and then do that like have it be within the story um the this comic takes place in the equal verse
00:05:34
Speaker
Yeah, if they do a comic series or an anime, now we have no idea where this could take place in the movie, the TV show. And also, the Queen of the TV show is network television. It can only go so far. And then the movies are just like, by the time you get to three, Denzel is basically like a Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, just brutally killing people with every sort of implement you can possibly imagine.
00:06:03
Speaker
Cool, I can't wait to see it. It and definitely it definitely starts here because he is there's some interesting kills that he ah comes up with. And it has to be stated too, like the movie version is a whole reboot all of everything. It's its own thing that doesn't carry over from the TV show. Just i mean just to name the character and
Background and Motivation of McCall
00:06:24
Speaker
stuff, like because like everywhere Woodward was Robert McCall in the show, and he worked for the CIA previously. Right, ah but they called it the company. yeah Or the agency, yeah.
00:06:35
Speaker
Well, this this also the movie also does the thing that a lot of these kind of like TV, i mean we just saw this this year with like the fall guy where it's like it's based on the show but then it's like a prequel to the show because this is this is like Robert McCall becoming the equalizer and then putting his ad in like the like Craigslist in this movie. Spoiler alert. alert this is this is like the first This is like his first time deciding like I'm gonna be like the equalizer and like you know deal out justice that I deem worthy of people.
00:07:02
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. I thought he was always the equalizer. He just retired because he seemed to be equalizing already but hang on what John Wick scenario. Yeah. Yeah. Well, apparently he was in like the CIA or something. And then he I can't tell if he planned the car bomb or he was just happened to survive a car bomb. But then he just like was like, oh, this is a good job. Like this is opportunity to like get out.
00:07:27
Speaker
I feel like he ah he ah like he made a fake car bomb and then made himself
Humor and Settings in the Film
00:07:31
Speaker
look like he died. And that's how he got out of the CIA. But then yeah it gets more. OK, this is later in the movies. I thought he got out because his wife passed away or something. Yeah, his wife died. which i and then by i hear him Because like he's talking to Bill Paulman is like, oh, yeah, that car bomb. like That was like too easy for you to get. I know that was kind of fake because you like it was too easy for you to like so but you go out. like You wouldn't go out on a car bomb. Yeah.
00:07:58
Speaker
I know this is a throwaway line, but it's so important to the later structure of the story. Yeah, I don't yeah don't know know if his wife died in the car bomb, or if like his wife died, then he's just like, I got get out i gotta get out of the CIA. like I must fake my own death and then then move to Boston and work at a Home Depot. Oh, you can't call this Home Depot. Oh my god. oh but Yeah. it's so It's so blatantly Home Depot. They had to have gone to the Home Depot and be like, hey, can we tweet license your name and also we're going to like murder a bunch of guys with like all the all the like products you sell in your store
00:08:32
Speaker
I don't know. I think it would have helped the brand. I also think it would have been Lowe's more than Home Depot. yeah for that That place that they're in is way too clean to be a Home Depot. I'm not sure if you've been to Home Depot in the last few years, but it's usually like salt dust everywhere and like lights dimmed. It could be like the brightest day. Yeah. And you have pigeons everywhere, like inside. So yeah, like that ain't Home Depot. That's a Lowe's. Yeah. They could have sold like the, uh, like a tie-in. It's like the equalizer nail gun. It's the one Denzel used in the movie to murder that guy.
00:09:11
Speaker
but Like, I don't know if it's like a positive or negative for the brand, where it's like, this nail gun's so cool, you can, like, eliminate a Russian mobster with it.
00:09:22
Speaker
And our barbed wire could hang a guy from a ceiling.
McCall's Routine and Quirks
00:09:24
Speaker
Do they sell barbed wire at, like, Home Depot or Lowe's or anything like that? Uh, they do. It's, like, on a chain. Yeah. But I don't know if, like... Well, he had the key, so he might have just opened the display, take out the steel.
00:09:39
Speaker
It's like this stuff that would be locked up behind somewhere now. Yeah. Yeah. Like some dumb kid could just stick his hand in that and like that a problem. Why don't you know, they might do that at Home Depot because Home Depot people are all like that.
00:09:54
Speaker
Yeah. So, so beginning, so being in the movie, uh, so yeah, Denzel is Robert McCall. He's working at Home, Home Mart and there's, ah there's so much buildup of like his like daily routine.
00:10:06
Speaker
which I guess Denzel came up with the idea of him being like OCD, which is an interesting aspect. You don't really see like a lot of OCD action heroes.
Character Relationships
00:10:13
Speaker
yes um but The one part of his routine that's crazy to me is that so like every night he goes to that diner and then The diner guy is like the most laid-back diner guy in the world because like Denzel never buys anything. He just brings us on tea and this guy just like pours some tea and lets us sit there for like hours and not buy anything. And he gives the pie away to the girl like all the time. Yeah, he gives, he gives, yeah, he gives clear goosebumps free pie and coffee. And yeah, it's just like, how are you making money? This is not how you make money. Pretty much. Yeah. Well, he's a neighborhood diner. So I guess it's like repeat business. There's a chance that McCall could order food. I feel like
00:10:51
Speaker
I feel like Robert should at least buy tea from him. Like, buy your tea at the diner. Don't be like, this is a freeloader. Every other aspect of Robert is like such a, he's just like, such a, you know, compassionate, outstanding. He's like, life coaching every single person he knows. He's training that guy to be a security guard.
00:11:13
Speaker
He's trying to instill like classic literature into Chloe Grace Moretz.
Boston Life and Diner Culture
00:11:17
Speaker
He's a person that puts like everyone else's needs before his own. and He's yeah like and simple and he's just the kind of dude who's like your favorite like uncle type character or something like that. You know you're just like you won't listen to anyone else but you'll listen to this dude. Yeah, he's like trying to improve every single person around his life. but then is's just like Oh, but I'm not gonna buy tea. I'm not gonna pay for tea. Okay, you still need some faults. He loves brewing off the diner guy. But I'm pretty sure the diner guy probably charges him the water or something. Because he can't just do that. I had to boil the water. Yeah, right? Yeah, he was, he might as well, this stuff's like a Boston diner. Like... Oh no, you, I, Zach, we've been to Boston a couple times. Can you imagine going to a diner and just bring our own, like,
00:12:02
Speaker
coffee or tea. and they're like yeah to get out like running you off a baseball bat yeah Especially in that neighborhood, it's out likes South Boston. Like that's Saudi, like yeah super hard um working class people. And if you ever guys see the show Shameless, like he lives in
Importance of the Diner Scene
00:12:19
Speaker
Shameless area, that same town of like Massachusetts. Yeah.
00:12:25
Speaker
It's like he'll be stopping a freeloader someday, Robert. be a fucking freeloader. like And that guy, I totally forgot, that's like the owner cook. Yep. I guess he's perfect example of a COVID employee now. It's this one guy that has to do everything. Yeah. I guess luckily lookily it's like, what? Two o'clock in the morning. So there's like only like two people. It's like Robert and Chloe Gerspresso, the only two people there. Yeah, that's true.
00:12:54
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, he's friends with Claire Sprechts, who is Alina, who is a prostitute working for the Russians. But then she gets beat up badly. And then which is also like the diner guy, like he's the one who's like, oh, by the way, that she ended up in the ICU. Like, how did he find out? How? Yeah, does the diner guy is part of the Russian mob? He's like, he's like, like Alina's like, like emergency contacts. It's like called Jake at the diner. He'll find out if anything happens.
00:13:22
Speaker
He gave me pie, so you know you're on my emergency contact. Yeah. It turns out he's like, I forgot what movie was that. I forget. Where they're looking at the diner, and like they pull the grenades out of like the fry cook oil. And there's like you find out the diners are front for all these weapons and stuff like that. And they go into like
OCD's Role in McCall's Violence
00:13:38
Speaker
war. I'm trying to remember what movie that was. I mean, Triple triple X was like, it was like, Vin Diesel has that whole scene of like, this whole diet is fake. like lot i called I called all yours. I'm not pointing out everything. It's why it's fake. like No, but the the secret like arms in the diner sounds familiar. Yeah. Every time I think of like a diner that just seems like way too homely and like kind of oddly run, I think of ah but ah like Jason goes to hell. Yep. It's like that diner scene where everyone just has a gun and they're all willing to fight whatever walks in that they don't agree with. Yeah. Even if it's Jason.
00:14:19
Speaker
and exploit exploit horrible murders for profits.
00:14:24
Speaker
but no the His life, is like I forget that like it's not like he's counting. and his thing like Is that why he has like the timing? Because his OCD lets him... Yes. yeah they think all that All that stuff, like the folding the napkin and his schedule and his like timing everything, that's all it was like OCD. Wow.
00:14:47
Speaker
Because I'm thinking around this time, the movie The Accountant came out. I think it was after this, which I feel like they piped ri i feel like they ripped off so much. They're like, oh, yeah, it's a good idea. Make him make it more autistic. Well, because there was that streak of years where- Accountants 2016. Yeah. Oh, wow. So yeah, they definitely saw inspiration. Because I feel like some of the stunt team in this showed up in The Accountants.
00:15:12
Speaker
I forgot that one guy with the mustache near the end. Oh, yep. He shows up in every action movie. He was in John Wick. He was in this accountant. He was in The Last Stand with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Oh, God, that movie.
00:15:32
Speaker
but ah But yeah, I only bring that up because of if you had no context of what the equalizer show was about About his like need to time things and and yeah, I don't think all I don't think it's any part of like the original show He did have a watch one of his famous things was like him looking at a watch and and figuring out timing things it what but this I mean this this movie like when that sounds like when he's like timing things it's a full-on ripoff of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes like
00:16:04
Speaker
Yeah, it's interesting because when like he has his OCD when he's folding his napkins and shit like that but when he's going into a fight his like superhero OCD kicks in you see like the screen start pulsating and stuff like that as soon as in his eyes is like, yeah, this is like Spidey sent Sam Rainey's bow right here. i love I love how abrupt it is to like there's no there's there's like no hint of that that's gonna happen when you watch this weaver first time And also just like cuts into like, you know, like Guy Ritchie struck homes like super slow. It's like, wait, what? but he i hours Like in the moment, like it is cool. But once you start thinking about you're just like, that's kind of funny. They think OCD is like that.
00:16:41
Speaker
you
00:16:45
Speaker
I mean, if anything, he should have like these kids out there wishing they have OCD when they get older. like Yeah. No, it's like you just have a panic attack. The things are not like incorrect order. You three lied to me.
First Action Sequence Breakdown
00:16:58
Speaker
it doesn't make you like a better fighter you know it like and m mma fighters don't have ocd you know that's what makes him the best it's like no no like they're they're good for other reasons but and this he is like because he's very self like i guess where he he self-aware of time. like It seems like he can slow down time for himself. right yeah And then he can't and then i his improvisational skills of just like, okay, well, I remember what this was. I know what this is. I i can make a bomb out of this. I can use this as an improv weapon.
00:17:30
Speaker
yep like it's so um Like you said, Sherlock Holmes scanning and and like he prepares for that, like I guess weeks in advance of like, oh, if I see this, I can definitely do that. like and then you think I think you he's just doing it like in the moment. You think in the moment? Yeah. When he goes to Slavy, the guy that like uh, is like the pimp for Chloe Grace Moretz and all like, what doesn like but her sly i worried them yet the first level bad guy who like, we thought, if you've never seen the trailer, you think this guy would be the bad guy for like most of the movie. It's set up in a way where it, you think it's going to be, this is the main villain. We'll chase him around cat and mouse game, but it gets solved really quick. Yeah. Cause he got, cause he offers to pay like a certain, like here's like $9,800, right? Which I guess the trivia is like,
00:18:25
Speaker
um that's the That's like if they got more than 10,000 you have to pay like you have to like go do all these forms stuff We take out 9800 from your account. It's like that's you have to do anything. It's just like the bank doesn't care Yeah, so that keeps them off like if that keeps it off the radar keeps it off like the but off the grid It would have been funny if he did give like less than 10 grand or like 9,999 dollars. Yeah, if he had OCD he would do that and then also have like a gift card for like a penny on it and then like here drop this and then like what?
Creativity in Fight Scenes
00:18:57
Speaker
Or it would be a gift card to like his store.
00:19:00
Speaker
you know I got the Omar gift card. Omar gift card. Yep.
00:19:08
Speaker
By the way, as a warning to people, like if someone pays you in gift cards, like that's going to be a scam. Like don't, don't accept that. Yeah. And yeah if you're calling is just like, sorry, you can only pay pay to fix this Microsoft issue on your computer with $500 in Apple gift cards. Yeah. Or if so if someone you work with or like it emails you on your, their work emails is like, Hey, you need to buy me, I need gift cards. Buy me some gift cards for the office, whatever. Don't believe that.
00:19:39
Speaker
Yeah, but yeah, robert robert so Robert goes he tries to like get by Clay Gray Smurfs freedom with that $1,800 and then they're like hey get out here old man you're like you're stupid like um And then he decides at the door like locked door then this that's when he like kicks in is like Sherlock Holmes vision is like alright How could I gave the choice now? They made the choice on I'm gonna kill them all and then this way is like analyze everybody and then just proceeds to brutally murder them all. I don't think the movie period is the level of violence too. because like it's like
00:20:11
Speaker
like you see like like clo is for like like She's she's like super beat up. Denzel shoving like a shot glass into a guy's eye to kill him and then casually cutting the guy's throat with a knife. and like The corkscrew. The corkscrew. Oh my god, yeah.
McCall's Moral Compass
00:20:30
Speaker
Well, I think that's what kind of like what John Wick flourish with in like the sequels as well. I'm not going to get obviously too much into that, but like you see as like two, three and four happened to get more creative using like dogs, pencils and other stuff, you know? Yeah. What's the thing about this to movie too is like one of the trivia things too is that ah like Robert in this movie never actually fires a gun himself. Like in this in this scene, like he forces that guy to shoot his own gun, but like he never like picks he never picks up a gun and starts like killing people with guns. Like he's always just like,
00:21:01
Speaker
picking up whatever's around him and it's like killing people with them. So it's already Jackie Chan. Yeah. Or Home Alone or something. yeah He's like, yeah. And then he also, he also established a thing too, which is like, a kind of it's it's kind of a running thing for the whole series. It's like, he'll kill someone and just like sit there and just stare at them and just be like, yep, you're dead. You're dying. How's that feel? like That's that OCD in him. He's probably like,
00:21:27
Speaker
You'll probably to see a number of dead people like when the light leaves their eyes. you Gotta make sure. I've seen too many horror movies.
00:21:38
Speaker
but but One thing though. um So in that scene where he he's offering the money and then when they don't accept it and he starts placing the skulls on everyone and then he like runs out because it's like four guys, three skulls. That would have been OCD moment of him going, a your skull first keep someone give me another skull. Yeah. And then you probably would see then if you want to use it as a weird like thing, he like takes someone's head and then like,
00:22:06
Speaker
kills him, then shows him the skulls. Like now that was for you. Like that would have been cheesy, but that would have been like, uh, like way more into like setting how, how like brutal he was. But instead, um, he goes and closes the door like four times. He likes like fight. the end it like That's one thing I didn't understand the significance of. I know he wants to make sure it's locked, but like before he made sure it was locked, he opened and closed it like four or five times. I think that that's associated. Yeah.
00:22:36
Speaker
I couldn't tell that was he was testing like a sound thing so he could do this without being caught or was it sort of like his way of counting or yeah or so you know like someone who is ADHD like if I lock my room I'll sometimes like go back and make sure it's locked again you know like I'll get up out of my bed and be like let me go over in this make sure you know but you're not equalizing no you can't you're not you're not analyzing how long it takes to kill five guys in the room yeah But yeah, that's all I kind of forgot.
Comparisons to Similar Films
00:23:06
Speaker
It's like, oh, yeah, I thought the oc OCD thing was more like his counting kind of keeping track, like ah almost an internal clock. But now that you mentioned it's not, it's more of his tick. And but by the way, it's like by the third movie, it's gone. Like he doesn't have any of those things anymore. Spoilers. He still he still does the tea thing. Like he's still like when he like he's in Italy, but he still is like folding napkins and doing tea like a very precise way.
00:23:32
Speaker
that's fine that's just like any kind of placing your fork and kind of like you're eating ritual I'm not saying that's like a thing but like he doesn't do some of the closing door things or he plays around with like objects you know in the way they they definitely downplayed like the Sherlock Holmes vision too because like I think you know the third one it's only in the beginning and that's it
00:23:57
Speaker
Uh, but yeah, like the for this fight really establishes what stands him out from just a regular guy, just like, I don't know, like Liam Neeson rushing in and just attacking as fast as he
Vigilantism in Boston
00:24:08
Speaker
possibly could. Like this is very calculated, very, um, improv with, with weaponry. Cause you're right. Like he doesn't, he doesn't just have a gun on him. He just goes, well, by walking the situation, I'll figure out how to kill anyone with what's in there. Yeah.
00:24:24
Speaker
but And I forgot too, like so after the scene, like obviously the main plot continues where they like like the Russians are inadvertently destroyed like the Boston like branch of the the Russian syndicate. they So the the big boss sends Martin Sokas, aka Teddy, to go and investigate what happens.
00:24:44
Speaker
But then I forgot there's like mini equalizer episodes sprinkled in. I'm just like, Robert's like, Hey, I'm like, like, this is, I'm, I ah enjoy this. Like I should, this helps people also doing this. Like he, like, there's like, there's like this corrupt cops who aren't involved in the Russian thing at all. There's like random ah other, other corrupt cops in Boston. That's just Boston problems happening. That like, I guess they burned, they burned down his friend, his, uh, his friend's mom's Mexican restaurant. Yeah.
00:25:12
Speaker
And then he like beats those guys up and then forcing them to give the money back. And they just disappeared and they're never seen again. but Before that scene with the money, because he, when he was talking, when um Robert was talking to the, um the Spanish guy or whatever, he quit his job at Omar. At first, I thought they were implying that like,
00:25:29
Speaker
they accidentally started the wire, like fire or whatever, like the electrical fire to get insurance money at first. he guys Oh, I'm indifferent. I was getting that vibe before I heard like the cop thing, you know, because they had this little conversation out back and I was like, yeah. Robert's like, um I might have to equalize you. Yeah, right. Yeah, you're on the dude who rocked on the mark later on.
00:25:58
Speaker
Oh yeah, that's so crazy because he robbed the store and then we never we don't see Robert go and kill him, I
Realism in McCall's Methods
00:26:05
Speaker
guess. but he just he takes ah I feel like that's it's a kind of sloppy move by Robert because he takes the ah hammer from the store, goes and ah apparently kills this guy or beats this guy savagely with the hammer. they just brings it back he Wipes it off and just brings it back. It puts it back on the shelf.
00:26:22
Speaker
Well I guess one thing is he didn't do it there because he like he looked at his license plate, I guess OCD, he has that shit memorized, you know, so he got him later. I just feel like if if he like if he killed that guy, like he just leaves the murder weapon just like in public, he's on a shelf, like someone's gonna bite his hammer.
00:26:37
Speaker
i mean even Yeah, even with a lot of the scenes in the movie, you do have like, ah what you may call it, ah Denzel and I forget his character's name, but Hopper from Stranger Things, David Harbour, like, yeah, in that scene with the car he goes to like opens the door, I was like, his fingerprints are all over there. So like,
00:26:57
Speaker
Like I, but I think to be fair at that point, they'd already found out who Robert McCall was and everything. They already did the research, but like earlier in the movie, he like leaves a lot of places with his DNA everywhere.
David Harbour as a Corrupt Cop
00:27:09
Speaker
Oh yeah. Like he's shot Robert. Like he bleeds a lot in other places. Like it's not unrealistic where he's invincible. He never gets hurt, but there's also a degree of.
00:27:23
Speaker
ah The local PD has to know like, you know This this like they keep finding fingerprints in DNA from the same guy and all these crime scenes. Yeah Well there I mean it seems this really makes you seem like the entire Boston PD is corrupt because it's like there's a there's two random corrupt cops But there's this whole crew of corrupt cops that work for the Russians.
00:27:44
Speaker
yeah includes David Harbour which you know this it's so it's weird it's so weird because like you know this is like right before Stranger Things but like before Stranger Things like David Harbour was just playing like he he's just playing like absolute scumbags like all these movies. Well I just love it because he plays a cop in this movie and then one year later he plays a cop in Stranger Things. Yeah but like told opposite like like he's like the gruff level 80s dad and then but in like this this movie then everything before Stranger Things he's just like just act like he's always just like an absolute asshole like scumbag like scumbag like scuag like a mid administrator guy scumbag like the ah yeah besides when I saw him like super clean shaven in one of my mom's hallmark movies like chris he's in a Christmas hallmark movie or something like that I was just like wait what the heck he's got his hair like comb to the side and stuff and ah I think I think a year prior to this he was in like quantum a solace no years prior using quantum a solace
00:28:42
Speaker
And you play like scumbag, like CIA guy. That's what he played in Suicide Squad as well. Yeah, you're right. I forgot he was in that movie.
00:28:54
Speaker
He's in there for like one scene having dinner. That's it. Yeah, right. Yeah.
Intellectual Duel: McCall vs. Teddy
00:29:00
Speaker
Yeah, everything different changed after Stranger Things. For better or for worse. But yeah, I love how I love how he's always trying to like Boston things up.
00:29:14
Speaker
like he's trying to like like over top Boston accent yeah yeah and then he's like yeah his see were like tensile as like suffocating in his car in the car with like the exhaust and and like all in all this interactions with like Martin Soka's dude it's like he's just like what the fuck are you doing man is my town he's like shut up You work for me. Like when they go to that construction site that I still don't understand. The Irish mob. The Irish mob. They just kill the Irish mob. I don't know if they killed the guy or just sent him a message. Sent him a lesson. Yeah, because it looked like he was slightly moving when he was coming down. Which I do like. I like that Martin Soka's Teddy is like they kind of set him up as like the evil equalizer. Like he kind of has
00:30:02
Speaker
I wish they'd given him like, like, it would have been like, cheesy, know ridiculous, but they give him like, ah like Sherlock Holmes vision, but it's like red or something just like, like an evil version of the shut Sherlock Holmes vision. i like that But it seems like he has like, you know, he's like equal skills to Robert. He's just using them for evil. Like he's like like, very observant, very like, like tactical, like, comment wise seems like he's like equal to Robert.
00:30:27
Speaker
The scene that I loved so much, like no action at all. It's just that scene when Teddy goes to visit Robert as apartment. Robert like opens the door before Teddy even gets there. And like yeah each line of dialogue, they're finding out a little bit more about each other. And they're just like pretty much smiling at this point. He's like, yeah, yeah. My wife was dead like, went to meet a woman there. She was sick. She didn't show up. So I left not too long after. He's like, oh, well, bow withta I don't check my watch. You know, i he know like I wasn't keeping track of
Supporting Characters' Roles
00:30:57
Speaker
time. yeah
00:30:58
Speaker
And then Robert's like, hey, don't you want to give me your card because I remember something something later? like Isn't that what you cops do? but Yeah, right. i' just like I just love it because they're both like being smart and douchey a little bit more and more each line they go. They have a different battle. They definitely a good they they they have a good like back and forth duel. And then they yeah they basically have like the scene from Heat later on in the Russian restaurant. Oh, yeah, yeah. That scene was good.
00:31:25
Speaker
where like, cause like, that's like after Denzel like finds out like Teddy's whole backstory and he's just like, he's telling it to him. Just like, Hey, I learned everything about you. Like, what are you gonna do about that? You're a psycho. Yeah. You killed your foster parents, which he got, he got from his friends, Muslim, Muslim and Bill Pullman who I find it weird. Like Muslim has to fly to Washington.
00:31:53
Speaker
to get like this files like could she just log into like her laptop if you like slow works with the CIA just like get the information from I guess not because it's like secretive I guess well she gets she gets like actual physical files but I guess like you have like go to get but like This is probably the equivalent of like someone who works for the FBI looking up someone just because they're curious, but the FBI will be able to monitor that and be like, why did you look up this person kind of thing? Yeah. That makes sense. You just can't like do that and be like, OK, well, why? And they're like, never mind. Google clear like my cat. I was it was in Canada mode. Yeah, right. So I guess the only way of her was to go to the facility, like find dig through the file, but then she had to charter a helicopter and be like, all right, well, just going to fly out that casually. like like a marine like It's like a marine one flies out of a lawn and brings her back home. Right, yeah. And I think you should the interesting thing too is that like I think Bill Pullman is not, like he's just like a civilian. like I don't think he was in the CIA or anything.
Dismantling the Russian Organization
00:32:54
Speaker
Hey, like i'm my wife wasn't the CIA or whatever. I'm just i i just a regular dude. Well, I mean, yeah. He's just like a chill like civilian. He knew what he was signing up for. Yeah. yeah I guess it's like the same thing. like Robert had a wife that was not part of the service, but like his home life, you need that balance of just not like dating within that agency. Yeah.
00:33:27
Speaker
but Yeah, but but this is where it gets all the info that he needs. like It's like a this huge, like, expedition dub of like, oh yeah, he's Spetsnaz, he's Russian secret police, he works for this guy. This guy's like a ah super rich Russian oligarch who's funding everything. like Oh yeah, it's like um but ah Teddy's actually like a businessman, like a psycho, would a like he's a mercenary with a business de degree.
00:33:53
Speaker
Actually, it's been funny if there was a part where he actually is just like fine. it He's just like figuring out the business management, at the club, and then you just see a montage of him just sort of like, oh, we got to add more expenses. We got to like, like go he's like, he's like, reading he's like, reading yeah he's like reading the ledger, the books, just like your, your food costs are out of control here. What are you guys doing? You think like halfway, halfway through the movie, he's just like, you know what? Shit's going south here. Let's just go to Philly or something.
00:34:22
Speaker
you operation you find out it's like one of those other movies like there's like there's operations in every state this was just one now we're going to create 49 other sequels i mean it could have been i feel like the other um movies could have been taking apart this one like set but we we get like different um like mafias that he keeps equalizing. And like thoroughly equalizing them. Like there's nothing left of that. They came to come back. There's no surviving, revengeful person, which it's like yeah right after he visits like mostly a bill moment, like he's like ramps, like he ramps things up to like an extreme level of just like, now I'm just gonna like totally destroy this organization. Oh yeah. That like the, the freighter ship or whatever. Yeah. Which I was, is, is that like the ultimate like cool guys, the only explosion scene?
00:35:17
Speaker
It is. I'll say this. It's not like the typical like explosion blows up behind you because it's like a sideways view of him walking and you see stuff like five second delay blowing up behind him. So like the speed he's walking, like he walks past that one little building and then stuff starts hitting it like five seconds
Explosive Action Scenes
00:35:34
Speaker
after he walks past. So it's like an extended version of that. i Yeah. he Like good thing he timed that out. Like I'm sure he tried to tell the way he like times everything out, but like he walks past those like taker trucks and then they blow up like a suit like right after he walks past them.
00:35:47
Speaker
So it's like, man, if he had just tied that, like, by a sucky, he would have been like, blown up, that would have been like a... Yeah. Yeah, cause that's another thing I noticed, like, even though he's walking nonchalantly, and like, debris is following him right there, the projected path of all that stuff would have hit him in the back of the head.
00:36:06
Speaker
And he's walking with like. hourss Yeah, but he he's got like oh the way they shoot that. And if you compare it to ah Days of Futures Pass of of like Quicksilver, like running, it's like the same idea of all this shit flying in the air and like the air fracture changing. He knows this each piece of debris is going to land. Yep. And it's so it's such a huge explosion, like it's just like a ridiculously huge explosion because it's this entire like oil tanker, they blew up.
00:36:36
Speaker
But I feel like that killed like the cool guy with the little explosions thing. because like I can't think of another one after this one. that is like I think that was like, well, we can't top that one. that This movie did the ultimate one. We can't do it anymore. Yeah. we don't Where do we go from here? It's like that, and then when did the Lonely Island song come out?
00:36:59
Speaker
feel I feel like that was around the same time, like who has hold this the song? that People were just like, oh, we can't do that trope anymore, I guess. Oh, I think that was like but years prior. This is probably the last one to escape that. Yeah.
00:37:14
Speaker
And then there's like the whole, the whole thing. Like he like takes all their money. Like he but takes on all their money, which like he took down all those guys. Like, like he just threatened the one guy like by shooting, I'm not shooting a deck. If you like, and then tell you guys like laid out and then be like, you like, all right, we're done. and like They gave up really quick. Yes. For like Russian, like Russian mobsters hardcore Russian mobsters. Yeah.
00:37:38
Speaker
there's like all right all right yeah don't shoot me the dick we'll lock ourselves in the freezer and like with all the money like if i was teddy i mean i i would have been like so one guy said you you you risked like i don't know 10 million dollars for one guy but yeah there's five guys had guns on him and because you didn't want your dick shut off you gave up and locked yourself gave gave up however many millions or billions of dollars Yeah, I was about to say, the one thing I thought of, there wasn't the classic, like, everyone saw how badass Denzel was, and there wasn't the one guy who just, like, mm-mm, and he just turns around and, like, runs away.
Narrative Through Action Scenes
00:38:14
Speaker
Yeah. Like, I don't think I saw that in this.
00:38:18
Speaker
Yeah, like you're right. There should have been a scene where a guy's like, ah I know this guy, he's a brutal monster, all that. It's like, this is the better deal. Let him just take the money. it it like They just give up on some dude. like They just solve that. So I think there's like a new corrupt cop that just works with David Harbour. He's like, oh yeah, this is the new guy. like he needed Denzel needed that ah like Darth Vader Rogue One scene in the movie. Just like the like the view from the back of him just brought walking it forward. Well, he he has them. It's just like he kills every single of person. that There's like no one left like this. Everyone's dead. like They can't talk about it. Yeah, yeah. The closest, I guess, scene you would get is that first scene with him in the restaurant. Second floor, yeah.
00:39:04
Speaker
but yeah they should have been least one survivor to explain to everyone else like don't mess with this guy you tell everyone what you saw here today yeah yeah like like well i go tell like shout show the shock thats since we guys eye and there his skull it killed him like and like years from now, these are like all stories to kids. Like here, he's like, I heard there was the boogeyman that did this. I heard this person did that. Like, you know what I mean? It's like all stuff that's passed down here. It's like, no, no, no, that's true. And then you find out years later, it's true because emergrgence again he the corkscrew. Like for the guy's heart out with it.
Thematic Elements of the Title
00:39:38
Speaker
like twisted ri his guy i't just I don't know if there's like another Russian word for equalizer, but that's where the name should have came in. They should have whispered like,
00:39:51
Speaker
like something you know like because i realized this whole movie no one calls him the equalizer no no in the tv show one of his like friends nicknames in the equalizer because of just like you know how he makes things equal for the little guy and also he mostly leo should have been like remember when you were like remember what you used to call you in the cia equalizer like that that would have been like a nod and a wink to like explain the title of the movie
00:40:23
Speaker
again you come to this movie without without watching the trailer went out watching the tv show or knowing of it you're just like whats but equalizer like you know like what i know like yeah
00:40:37
Speaker
so okay this is a little ah subject a little bit but at least in the fall guy remake the movie they it's like a pun on fall guy stunt fall guy for like a crime yeah a crime and then fall guy for like the business that he that
Character Arcs and Plot Development
00:40:56
Speaker
gets turned into yeah so this it's not like anyone calls on the equalizer and he doesn't even say like I make things equal you know like it just yeah like umm i mean I got
00:41:07
Speaker
I'm going to equalize the scales or something like you should exist. thats like that yeah No tough guy like statement. Y'all just got equalized. Yeah. Yeah. Um, are we also going to forget that like the, if you saw his movie thinking like Chloe, what's her face? is cloca morre Yeah. If you think she's going to be around longer, like at this point in this movie, she's like out of the movie for like, like all i got I mean, realistically, it makes sense, but then yeah, yeah from like, it like i yeah, co-starring. If you're like, if you saw like kick ass and stuff, you're Oh yeah, i must say I'm a fan of Chloe Grace Maritz. I'll go see where this, it's like 10 minutes. I think that's the thing you were talking about earlier. Like he, you had that guy who set up to be the bad guy, but then it's just like, oh, just kidding. He wasn't, but Chloe Grace Maritz falls into that plot arc and she disappears. And then like two thirds of the way through the movie, it was like,
00:42:01
Speaker
Oh, wait, yeah, Chloe Greer Smarts is what happened. Yeah, and she got shows back up. Oh, oh yeah. What were you even up to? The explanation for it is very like Denzel, like like Robert McCall, like, you know, like that makes sense for his character, like to do something like that for yourself. It's like, oh, yeah, that's right. Because it's because it takes place over like a couple of days, I guess. Yeah. He like, he like dismantles like the entire East, like East Boston, East Coast Russian operation in like three three days. Yeah.
00:42:33
Speaker
But I guess we have to talk about the, uh, the final home art fight. Yeah. that Yeah. Like the, the highlight of the movie yeah where, yeah well, cause they, what,
00:42:47
Speaker
what was it like there? They wanted him to come. They're going back to like Teddy goes to like the oil tank, their place. And he's like, Hey, come here. um Well, that they kidnapped all of his like, cause they have a picture of him talking to like his buddy, whatever his buddy's name is. And then they kidnapped all the Homemart people that Denzel works with. And they're like, hey, give yourself, you give yourself up and then but we'll let them go.
Final Showdown at Homemart
00:43:14
Speaker
And he's supposed to meet them at like the oil tanker dock where he blew everything up, but but then he goes to Homemart instead.
00:43:21
Speaker
Yeah, but I do like some of those employees probably weren't all friends of Robert, you know, they're just like, I just played baseball with them a few times. Like, they're just kidnapped, because it's like we have this one guy, you know, him, you're his friend. And he's like, No, no, I'm not.
00:43:38
Speaker
Oh man, that paid that baseball scene is like, like the whole the whole storyline with his friend is like, that that that feels like an actual like episode of the Equalizer TV show, where there's a whole whole arc of he's helping him train to be a security guard. His mother's restaurant gets fired by a cop, he takes him down, and and then he becomes a security guard. It's like a super condensed, like complete storyline for like and like a TV episode. And the crazy thing is, in today's day and age, like Someone working at Lowe's probably makes more than his security guard. Why the store need armed security guards? It's Boston. ah I guess, yeah. Yeah, I did. When I went yeah when i went to Arizona, the grocery stores had security guards there. But I'm also thinking they didn't do anything because like that guy robbed the house mart with guards. Yeah. So what did the guard do?
00:44:36
Speaker
Nothing. Yeah, I'm surprised like he wasn't worried about getting fired for that. And like, Robert's like, yo, don't worry. Like it's just money. Like the score policies. Don't, don't, like, don't let them but just give them the money. like i guess i make sure Also like you hear about people's jobs where like if someone tries to rob you and you intervene or something like that, and even if you thwarted him and called the cops and stuff and protected the business, you still get in trouble for intervening.
00:45:10
Speaker
Like in today's day, there's a lot of companies like don't want you to get involved at all. that it's like It's like liability for them, possibly. No, that makes sense. You're not supposed to equalize like any theft.
00:45:25
Speaker
don't Don't become a vigilante. Don't take like a so something for your job and like go just got kill the guy that like stole from the company. Yeah. I mean, I think like like you're supposed to just like take photos and kind of keep hands off because it's illegal to do. Remember details about the person. like Yeah. And then like even theft prevention, they have to like see you with it, I think, to apprehend you.
00:45:55
Speaker
I don't know. I'm just saying that because as someone who doesn't take from like big box stores, I imagine, yeah ah you know, one of the odds that there's an equalizer in there with former like CIA, like spec ops operative. But yeah, but but we yeah so robert Robert goes to stuff like he forwards his like cell phone so that they're tracking like a decoy cell phone on a bus and then he goes to home art and then Kind of like Home Alone's it like he brings up all these different traps and like but is like taking out these like this like mercenary squad with various implements. Yeah, I thought I thought the sand on the floor. I'm pretty sure it wasn't that just there so that the blood doesn't stay in the floor of the store. Or am I crazy?
Climactic Fight Scenes
00:46:43
Speaker
No, I thought it's like noise. I thought it's like it's like Robert like could hear that He's like there's a guy in that spot and he could like yank the like. Yeah, I thought it was like a wire here that might That might make more sense, but I was just like I could see that happening too Like he would be a guy that wouldn't want any blood states on the store floor I mean, I mean eventually i and eventually the store blows up or most close up. So it's Where like in that moment in time I'm thinking like Man, yeah, we all consider it. He's just like, I was just like, man, I gotta make sure like it's easy to clean up afterwards. I don't have to pipe him out tomorrow. Back on my shift.
00:47:25
Speaker
Yeah. So it's like the barbed wire deuce. Um, he's, he stands together with like, is that like a hedge clip clipper or something? Like a super long, like break clipper or something like to the neck. Yeah. It's the, one of the ones I believe that you like,
00:47:39
Speaker
for the branches and you pull the rope to, like, cut him a river. Yeah. I'm like, yes, I saw it. Yeah. But speaking of which, it's another scene where he stares at a guy die like jump that's his move. That's it's just like, good, dead. thinking but Think about your life like the dude backs into the drill. Oh, the drill is is isn't insane. and Yeah, I'll go set up for it.
00:48:06
Speaker
It's just like you're like this is that simpson joke like hot small man like but like I'm gonna get your lucky charms. It's like oh my brains One of the things in like this movie to me like has some really good quotes Like like just that quote they put up in the beginning. Um ah The two most important days. Yeah, the two most important days of your life is the day you're born in the day you find out why like ah after that I thought to myself was like Damn, do I know why I was born here? But no, no, no. When Robert McCall and Teddy had that exchange at dinner, um Robert just goes like, when you pray for rain, you got to deal with the mud. And he makes it rain at home, Mark. Yes. Oh. Oh, ah. Foreshadowing. Yeah, right? And I mean, I guess Teddy's the mud, you know? And he equalized or dealt with him, if you will.
00:49:00
Speaker
no
00:49:03
Speaker
And then, it and so, Robert, he he deals with everyone pretty easily, but then that, yeah, like you said, like Chris, like the mustache guy, like he is like a pretty formidable fight for him. Oh, the big dude, yeah. Yeah.
Supporting Characters' Development
00:49:15
Speaker
they're in And they're in like the like mirror section or like the glass like the window section. So it's always like glassware. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's just like bathroom mirrors and and like all that. But that section, again, nothing's behind like tied down. You just smash it if you want. Yep.
00:49:33
Speaker
I do like that ah everyone's gripping blades as if that's just a normal thing to do. like Gripping shards of glass and using it as a knife. and i like Everyone's fingers should be cut off in that scene. yeah yeah i mean the like the The message guy like his head is is like gushing blood because he's like holding this jacket.
00:49:54
Speaker
Glass is a knife, but I I do like that like Denzel Robert goes for like there's like a knife flying next to them and he goes for they he fakes going for that and like Stamps a guy the back of the head with like a actual just like a giant piece of glass. It happens so quick, too. Yeah But then he's like that like takes him like he's out of it for like a couple seconds and then like they have to do like they had to pay off the like the thing from the beginning where his friend Ralphie was like but training is like I can't drink this tire then there's those like What do if it dragged me? I weighed 190 pounds. You got dragged me out of the store or something. It's just to do it and then they both to get shot.
International Adventures of McCall
00:50:33
Speaker
That's a nice payoff because you figure about the tire training and they do set it up that Ralphie the unlikely, you know, security guard and kind of like, you know, too too nice of a guy to be the security guard, to be honest. Yeah.
00:50:50
Speaker
And then um they gave him a gun, like that guy, he doesn't use it at all in this movie. Did he have oh did he have a gun or did Denzel give him a gun? I'm like, hey, take this gun, and like, you may have to kill some people. Yeah, I think you're right. Denzel armed him. Yeah, because I thought towards the end, I thought the security guard shot him, but that was the fake out that like Denzel got him with the nail gun.
00:51:15
Speaker
Yeah, which that I mean, that scene is also like that scene is like very similar to like the like like tanker blowing up scene where it's just like this like insane slow mo. Yeah. And it's like is that I don't think I don't think it was the M&M song was it it was like a different song. It's like theres this is the song playing through like the entire like this like entire like home art sequence that like sounds like a M&M song. Yeah, that's and that's the um I think that's what they use for like the poster picture too with him with the let me see.
00:51:44
Speaker
Yeah, it's him it's him with a gun and it's raining. So I guess it's false advertising. Yeah. Well, I mean, I guess the nail gun looks like a gun. I guess they're like they're hiding like the tip, like the top of it. It's like it could be maybe it's a regular gun, but it's actually a nail gun. I mean, that that is a powerful nail gun. Like it's like every shot is just like totally disabling. I guess maybe he's like hitting pressure points or something, but like he's just like totally disabling like every. He should take the arm. The arm's gone. Like he's gone. yeah like It's not like that dude from like the evil dead 2013 reboot, you know, where he gets hit with like five nails and he's still like stands up. it like you so home out Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:52:27
Speaker
Yeah. Like, like like Robert, just like Amy of like super precise points. Just like totally just like destroy his body. It's like almost like that scene in like Django and Jane where Sam, like they shoot Sammy on, he gets like blasted back like 10 feet and like, yeah like whoop, like,
00:52:43
Speaker
The force of that nail gun has so much more force than you think behind him.
00:52:50
Speaker
i I also like to like, it seems like for a second, like Robert is like, he's like thinking about like, Oh, what am I doing? Like, like, for something about like like maybe his wife wouldn't want him to do this, but and still he's like, now I'm gonna do it. It's like shoots him in the throat, kills him. He just has the line like, now.
00:53:05
Speaker
my wife wouldn't want me to do what I'm about to do, but she's dead. then she's But she's unequal. Yeah. yeah
00:53:18
Speaker
And then anything like, Oh, like took her out. So the movie's over, but then you cut to like three days later and Robert has tracked down the head of like the Russian syndicate, this like super wealthy Russian oligarch in his house. And, uh, yeah, so like sets up, uh, like, like, I guess to make it look like an accident, but then like there's like 50 guys that it is. This is like mansions. That's not really an accident, but yeah, you, you can't just be like, Oh, he died in the bathroom by like something when like,
00:53:51
Speaker
The whole mansion is literally bodies. Yeah, there's just guards laying around dead everywhere.
Future of the Franchise
00:53:56
Speaker
like but you it's Like he comes out and like there's water flowing out of a sink and then there's like a bare wire on the floors. He steps on it and like, uh, electrics himself. yeah but it's like Yeah. Like, Oh man, what a crazy accident. And also like everyone, fell all the guards fell on bullets. that's That was weird. I guess it was a nap time at the mansion. Yeah.
00:54:21
Speaker
I feel like he could have split herself this way and just killed that guy and then got out and like no one would have known. him be like Oh man, this like freaky accident killed this Russian businessman. like And I was just innocently walking by. yeah That's what you were saying, kind of like the video game aspect where 20 minutes in, 10 minutes in you know who the boss is, 15 minutes later it's not the actual big boss, the big boss is who you're fighting the whole movie. But then at the end you find like the mega boss. you know yeah And then you fight them in the bathroom. Yeah. Just like every video game I've played. they all men they whole The whole mansion could have been like a, like a hit man level. ah like They used all their budget, man. yeah As if the movie ran a budget to show like that art and they're just like, don't worry, cool shit happened. You'll never know. It was ballsy for an action movie too, for like being that long, you know?
00:55:18
Speaker
It was like two hours. Yeah, yeah two hours 12 minutes. I think if they cut out the like equalizer mini parts where he's like, you know solving Boston crimes i but could Yeah, that's what like the whole like the like the second like the middle This movie is like so structurally weird where it's just like there is the main plot still going on But then he's there's yeah, there's random equalizer mini missions going on. Mm-hmm He's got to get that XP leveled up. Yeah And then after he kills the Russia guy, then then we get the, he puts the ad on Craigslist, which is the ad from like, yeah I think it was like a TV, like a classified ad in the, in the original or like a TV. Yeah, it was a newspaper ad where it's like, uh, call the equalizer and then he'll help. So he's starting his like equalizer business.
00:56:07
Speaker
which Which, in the next two movies, is like he like he's answering his ads, but then he's going international to destroy entire crime syndicates. There's a fishing scheme, or in the third one, like he's like in Italy trying to destroy it this like crypto like fishing scheme that like someone hired him. just like It's like, it's all my retirement money. Get it back for me, Robert. It's like, all right. like And then it goes and kills 50 guys. Say, I got your $10,000 back. Here you go.
00:56:38
Speaker
More than 9,800. Yeah. And definitely, the third one, we're talking about, like ah you see like the aftermath. like That's that's like almost all three. is it like You see the aftermath of it. Nice. um I think maybe just because, as awesome as Denzel is, I feel like his age is maybe catching up to him. Whereas he can't do, he's still doing action, but like not as like as crazy action as You know, 10 years ago. Yeah. So you definitely make him more of like ah like a slasher villain he's or he just like stays in the shadows, pops out and then like stabs a guy and then disappears. There's not like a elaborate job with fighting choreography or anything.
00:57:23
Speaker
And I think I think I got to watch two again, because I remember two being kind of disappointing after this one. Yeah. ah two Two holds up in the beginning, because it's more like mini adventures until the like, conspiracy, I think, is revealed. And then it becomes just like this. Yeah. that it's You mean his old team and his his old team are all like assassins now and they're evil. And because that's fair. I looked and said Denzel would have been 67 when he filmed three. So that makes sense.
00:57:51
Speaker
Yeah. And I think that's also why it's the the last one in that the trilogy. Yeah. Until the Queen Latifah one gets a movie. And what happens when the Equalizer TV show becomes a movie and then do they get like, do they carry over anything? Does, does, uh, there's going to be a female Equalizer lead again? They'll be in like, in like five, 10 years, old they'll be on a ah reboot movie. They're going to do Son of Equalizer. Yeah. By John David Washington.
00:58:21
Speaker
I mean, he could do it. He could do it. He could do the prequel.
Cultural Impact and Comparisons
00:58:24
Speaker
Yeah, the prequel where it's like, yeah like that like Robertson, like he's actually like in the CIA store or something. I don't see that. It is crazy. It will be such a missed opportunity if they don't call it the prequelizer.
00:58:38
Speaker
oh that's yeah
00:58:44
Speaker
I was gonna say it's it's so it is crazy at like this like kind of obscure like 80s TV show the equalizer has gotten so much, you know, contents and there's like other shows are like way more popular way more well known if it got like one movie you're like one thing and it's it's
00:59:01
Speaker
It's like the A-Team got like one shot in a movie and that was it. That's true. Yeah. Yeah. It's weird that this is the only trilogy of like a 80s series. even It's got a bunch movies only got like two. Yeah. I mean, it's it's it's a trilogy of movies and ah a TV show that ran for like how many ever however many seasons with he won. It's like it's a franchise. Yeah. I'm surprised it's not like equalizer stunt show. I can go see. That would be cool.
00:59:33
Speaker
Everyone gets like shot in the audience with like plastic nails. It's it's like, it's said like a Home Depot. like And then it's like, all right, everyone set your clock. Like here, look at your watch. Every time I see a movie take place in like a grocery store, department store, so like super stored, like Thanksgiving and stuff like that, it's like, I always wanted to call of duty zombies, like supermarket, like math, you know? Like I feel like there's such a missed opportunity.
01:00:00
Speaker
yeah yeah well yeah was it like that was a like that was a big thing like 8, they tons of 80s action movies that have like, you know, huge set pieces or like, dairy movies set in like
Retail Store Settings in Action Films
01:00:10
Speaker
a grocery store. So like, you know, cobra and like stone cold and like, it's like, Oh yeah, like it was common place to see, uh, kind of like what your familiar setting now terrorize, uh, malls, sports arenas, uh, super like food stores. Um, a few, a few years later, they had the mist too. It's all a grocery store. Yeah. The mist brought that back, but it's hard to come back from the mist because it's like,
01:00:34
Speaker
Insanity outside, insanity inside. Yeah. But I think the last move that did like any kind of big box store terrorist thing was that like Black Friday horror movie. Bruce Campbell. Bruce Campbell what? yeah now I think. that Yeah, I think so. It's a good it's it's a great study. Definitely you need more more like grocery store uh like walmart yeah yeah department store kind of but you know what actually happens now though i feel i feel like because some people aren't like shopping like that anymore it's going to be like an amazon warehouse right or like um someone someone's probably pitching that right now it's like yes it's like diehard in an amazon warehouse like all the packages have to go so like they still have to they're opening their opening packages and like pulling out stuff that people ordered and using us to kill people like
01:01:27
Speaker
I could see that. I don't know that's a good movie, but I could see that's a good set piece. Equalizer 4, like the Amazon warehouse year. They bring it back, yeah. That's where that's where true Robert's working. He's like working in like an Italian ah it was Amazon warehouse. Yeah, but I guess because Amazon doesn't want their name, they're just like, it's just a fulfillment center movie.
01:01:49
Speaker
The map home I know it's Amazon. Yeah, no, it's Hallmark is now expanded into an Amazon store. Yep. I'm surprised that Hallmark did not like carry on more in the series. Like he doesn't wear a shirt based on it. There's no like mention in the news that this exists as a business in that world. No, because I think I think in two, he's still in Boston, right? I don't think he only moves until three.
01:02:18
Speaker
um I gotta see two again. yeah but he yeah yeah yeah only only he's He's working for Lyft, like he's a Lyft driver in two. That's so that thought' how he's getting a lot of his clients. he was like He's like, oh, hey, you look like you need some equalizing.
01:02:32
Speaker
o Oh, speaking of which, how do you think how do you guys like the ending where he he does the Craigslist like equalizing like posting and hoping it's not like dick pics or something? Yeah, right.
McCall's Craigslist Ad Motivation
01:02:46
Speaker
I kind of liked it because he just replies just like, yes. How does, I want to see his like, like, like, uh, like weeding out process. Cause he's gonna get like a tons of it's like, Hey, Austin assholes. Yeah. You keep blow blow up like this church or like, well I kill my boss or like. You won't fucking piss. The Patriots lost and I'm all mad and shit. And my ex-girlfriend won't call me back. Can you equalize her equalizer? equalizer
01:03:17
Speaker
I can see some like Boston like scumbag just doing that but uh yeah it's so funny because like I guess the job posting is like do you need help is there no one else to turn to and like yeah like the postings like I'm out of options I need your help will you help me yes he's doing it all for free too
01:03:38
Speaker
That's the one thing I noticed, like I said in the movie, like he puts everyone else's needs above his because he has some sort of reason for wanting to do this, you know, like that. That's like because he did like all these things in the sake of like protection in his prior like role. So now he's looking to do free things for like the like, I guess, common to make up also to make up. He probably did like horrible things. Yeah. Got to fill that void.
01:04:06
Speaker
Well, what horrible things did he do? Did he destabilize like a whole government? We have no idea. Probably, yeah. Well, you know, he wipe out mobs. That's not like a terrible thing. Yeah, we see how effective he is. Like he's just like a yeah like a one man. Like you just drop him to country and just like he'll like, like destroy the entire government of that country if you want to. I mean, he pretty much flooded that Boston area with so much like stolen cash. And now like that Boston town is just like, okay, no, we're, we did well in our like seizures and we can stop harassing like, yeah. Yeah. The FBI sees $5 billion today. It's like, which apparently apparently there's like one more bit of trivia is like, apparently they do that. Like the guys are like, well, who's going to count all this? It's like, apparently like legally, they do have to count it
Character Resolution and Moral Undertones
01:04:57
Speaker
all. They can't just like wait. Like cause you can estimate it by like weighing money, but they, they would have to have like legally for seized money. That's like,
01:05:06
Speaker
count every single bill and figure out how much money that was you know another like true governmental thing that they would do is like hire the same people who are doing that back at the job again that factory to like now unpackage that money i'm sure except yeah i'm sure they're not they're not keeping like up-to-date like ledgers or something like here's ah Here's all of our transactions. Here's the accounting of all our money. like yeah Oh no, it's good. That Russian mob have QuickBooks, so they can easily just do that. Excel. Here's our Excel spreadsheet of our illegal illegal dealings.
01:05:45
Speaker
Well, okay. Now I know this is like the last topic of it, but like it should have been Teddy sort of calculating the loss and him equalizing like the budget and then trying to figure out. Yeah. I'm sure I put like Pushkin, like the big boss. Like I'm sure as he didn't mention anything about their money being seized, just like he was just like vaguely angry, but like he didn't say like, they still, you let him take $5 billion dollars or a billion dollars for how much money we had. He he was just worried about the like the oil tankers. Yeah. That seemed more important.
01:06:14
Speaker
Because that's like a lot of money involved in that. Yeah. But I mean, that was like an entire that was like entire like industrial like was it it was like a freezer or like an entire like a warehouse full of money.
01:06:27
Speaker
like And Denzel, the kind hearted man that he is, is giving all the Asian women like a little mom. He's just like, here you go, have a good one. I'm actually surprised he didn't burn the money. I guess he thinks it will help people if they seize it.
01:06:45
Speaker
you knowll get back to the government or something but like i'm surprised he just like but like wait like what are you gonna do now here's like i'm burning your money ill gotten gains like i don't know does he believe that equalizing the money would help stabilize some of the economy in 2004 or maybe yeah he's because he's always like guilt like he guilt trips all the cops like he saved harbor and like the cops like he You guys wear the badge, you're a disgrace to the badge. Practice serve. Remember, you were cops.
01:07:18
Speaker
Yeah, he shamed... That's like the second arc in the movie, is just him shaming people. Yup.
Conclusion and Recommendations
01:07:25
Speaker
Helping, like, life coaching people, helping people who are, like, in trouble, and then, yeah, like, shaming criminals, or shame criminals, and then and if he needs to kill criminals.
01:07:39
Speaker
But yes, I think that'll do it for the Equalizer. Still a super fun, violent dead cell movie. We're checking out if you haven't seen it. Oh, yeah. the whole I mean, the whole trilogy is is good. um Which I still have to watch the third. i was I was reluctant to watch the third because, again, sometimes when you haven't watched a movie in so long, you're just like, oh, man, I got to watch the first and second one again to like have good context for the third. you know
01:08:08
Speaker
So the only thing I remember about the second one is when Zach mentioned, he's like, oh, yeah, he's doing like working for Lyft. I was like, yeah, I do remember seeing that now. Yeah. And then Pedro Pascale was there. So, yes, that was an equal deglaser.
Upcoming Content and Sign-off
01:08:30
Speaker
We'll be back, Chris and I will be back next week talking about uh, the blob, the eighties remakes kicking off our spooky month of October with all horror movies. And there's a ah yeah special limitation 4k steel book of the blog coming out next week. So we'll dive into that. The, you know, Chuck Russell directed ultra much more valid than the Steve McPhee version of the blob. And before we go, ah Justin, does anything you want to plug or mention or anything? Not really now. Um,
01:09:01
Speaker
I'm just happy that I got to be on here. Like I'm glad you guys asked me because again, now I do have interest in seeing that third one. I'm like, I've heard good things. So yeah, I'm excited. And yeah, I just had a great time watching it again. Yeah. Definitely. You come back when everyone like, if you want to come back for one of our spooky October movies or anything later on. Yeah. We always have our schedule up for every month. If you or anyone else wants to check that out on our social media.
01:09:30
Speaker
It and ever say everything to come we were all for news reviews trailers I got our view of the killers game up there if you want to read my review of that they've teased a movie from last week and We're gonna have our game bucks. Yeah, our video game reviews coming up We're gonna have our commentary come up soon, which Chris and I watched time cop for 30 anniversary and So we can hold up. Except for the titre. The titreome mechanics are so walkie. But yeah, everything else about it is fun. So let's come up soon. All this other stuff we had on our site. Check all this stuff out. And yeah, so for Christian Justin, I'm Zach. And we will see you next time. See you. For more from Everything Action, head to www.everythingaction.com.
01:10:17
Speaker
You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com slash everything.action and follow us on X at Evieaction. We're also on Instagram and threads at everything.action. Find more episodes of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast epic choice and be sure to rate and subscribe.