Antoine Fuqua’s action thriller “The Equalizer” (2014), starring Denzel Washington, is based on the TV series of the same name. Aired on CBS between 1985 and 1989, the 88-episode series focuses on the life and deeds of former covert operations officer Robert McCall. Haunted by his past, Mr. McCall operates outside the law when the institutions fail to protect vulnerable people. Antoine Fuqua brilliantly uses the enduring appeal of the vigilante hero, further bolstered by the powerful screen presence of Denzel Washington. “The Equalizer” was Antoine Fuqua’s second collaboration with Denzel Washington after the actor’s Oscar-winning performance in “Training Day” (2001) as the dirty cop Alonzo Harris.
The actor and director went on to collaborate on the two “Equalizer” sequels and a remake of “The Magnificent Seven” (2016). Denzel Washington’s masterful performance in “The Equalizer” (2014) is a blend of restraint and intensity. Washington’s physicality and nuanced gestures make Robert McCall’s quiet moments of introspection and transformations into a cold, calculated killing machine work. While The Equalizer’s narrative trajectory is easily predictable, strong storytelling and precise action set-pieces keep us wholly occupied. Now, let’s see how Robert McCall uses his exceptional skills to deliver justice in “The Equalizer.” Spoilers ahead.
The Equalizer (2014) Movie Plot Explained:
Who is Robert McCall?
“The Equalizer” opens in a clean and austere Boston apartment as Robert McCall – a former Marine and black-ops operative – begins his work day. Robert works at a home improvement center. He helps his colleague Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis) to pass the security guard test with nutrition and exercise advice. After work, Robert returns home and reads a book late into the night. Unable to sleep, he takes the book with him to an all-night diner. Robert has befriended one of the diner’s regulars, Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a teenage sex worker kept under the control of the Russian mafia.
Teri asks about the book Robert is reading (Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea), and she speaks of making a demo of her song. It’s her dream to make it big as a singer, and Robert encourages her to do so. During Teri and Robert’s visit to the diner the following night, Teri asks whether the old man caught the fish and if he got his happy ending. Robert ponders about the struggles faced by the old man and the bleeding fish, which becomes a foreshadowing of what’s about to come.
Alina’s plight and Robert’s past
Soon, Teri gets a call from the mobster Slavi (David Meunier), who asks her to meet a client. Teri reluctantly accepts it since she knows this particular client is a violent man. Another day passes as Robert helps Ralphie with his training, and in the night, he once again meets Teri, whose face is a bit bruised. Teri hesitantly sits opposite Robert at his table as they introduce themselves for the first time. She reveals that her real name is Alina and gives Robert a CD of her song. Alina asks about Robert’s family, learning that he is a widower. Robert says his wife worked through “100 Books Everybody Should Read.” She reached 97 when she passed away. Now, Robert is at 91, and once he is done with 100, he will perhaps take up singing lessons or try something new.
Later, the duo takes a walk, and Robert speaks about the new book he is reading. It’s about a guy obsessed with being a knight in a world that doesn’t believe in knights. A middle-aged man who believes in chivalrous ideals is the basis of Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote,” which also foreshadows Robert’s later actions. Alina and Robert’s walk is interrupted as Slavi comes for Alina. He slaps her for defending herself against the violent customer from last night. Robert is visibly enraged, but Slavi, mistaking him for a client, gives him his card.
Why did Robert choose violence to protect Alina?
A couple of nights later, when Robert visits the diner, he is told that Alina is severely beaten up and is in ICU. Robert goes to the hospital and surreptitiously learns from Alina’s friend, Mandy (Haley Bennett), that Slavi is responsible for Alina’s condition. After contemplating the whole day, Robert eventually decides to meet Slavi at his club. He discreetly enters Slavi’s office, which has four other tough guys with weapons. Despite Slavi’s sardonic comments, Robert calms himself in order to negotiate Alina’s freedom. Robert offers $9,800 to release Alina. While Slavi seems to be accepting the money, he says $9,000 is only enough for a month.
Having been dismissed by Slavi, Robert secures his money and comes to the understanding that there’s no point in reasoning with people like Slavi. Robert walks back to the door and locks it from the inside. He judges the men in the room and their weapons and estimates it will take sixteen seconds to kill them. Robert springs into action, quickly killing Slavi and his goons, and estimates it has taken him nineteen seconds to finish them off. As Slavi is dying, Robert sits before him to tell him he has lost his life because of $9,800. Upon returning home, Robert cleans the blood, and for the first time, we see him peacefully sleeping in the bed.
How does Robert’s violent act unfold a chain of events?
The following day at work, Ralphie happily shares the news that he has made the weight to take the security guard test. In the evening, Robert looks at the news about the killings at a club, which is seen as a result of gang rivalry. Later, a Russian mob enforcer, Teddy (Marton Csokas), arrives in Boston and investigates the murder scene. It seems Slavi and his men worked for a crime syndicate that’s under Russian oligarch Vladimir Pushkin. Pushkin has sought Teddy’s services to ‘send a message’ to whoever messed with his men. Teddy is aided by three Boston PD detectives, who are on Pushkin’s payroll. When the detectives, particularly Detective Masters (David Harbour), object to taking orders from Teddy, Teddy slyly intimidates them that he is the one running this show. He wants to find the men responsible and restart their operation.
At work, Robert learns that Ralphie has quit the job without taking the security guard test. He visits Ralphie’s mom’s tamale shop and sees that Ralphie is helping her after the fire accident at the shop. Meanwhile, Masters takes Teddy to meet the rival Irish gang. Masters says that the Irish had nothing to do with Slavi’s murder. When the Irish mob leader treats Teddy with indifference, Teddy retaliates by insulting the man and then kills him by beating him to death. Teddy’s actions spook Masters, but Teddy casually says he has started ‘sending the message.’ Teddy inquires Mandy about Alina and where she went after recuperating at the hospital. Mandy feigns ignorance and says she didn’t know Alina that well.
Robert doles out some more vigilante justice
Robert learns that the fire at Ralphie’s mom’s shop is not the result of a faulty wire but caused by two corrupt police officers demanding money from the local shopkeepers. He ambushes the police officers and shows a video of them engaged in racketeering. When the police officers try to intimidate Robert, he quickly dispenses some vigilante justice, warning them to return the money to the shopkeepers. Subsequently, Ralphie passes the security guard test. Robert also goes in on another mini-quest of vigilante justice when a lone gunman robs the hardware store where he is working. Apart from taking the money, the robber takes a co-worker’s family ring.
Later, we see Robert borrowing a hammer from the shop and returning it the next day after cleaning it. The co-worker finds the ring in the cash register. Knowing that Mandy isn’t speaking the truth, Teddy presses her with more questions about Alina. She eventually admits to seeing a nice black man at the hospital, asking about Alina. After learning the information, Teddy kills Mandy. Later, Teddy shows photographs from the CCTV footage, pointing out a black man who is only seen entering the place.
How does Robert uses his skill to evade Teddy and his men?
The detectives find Robert’s identity using the photos, and Teddy pays a visit to Robert’s home. Teddy identifies himself as a police officer investigating the homicide of the five dead Russians. He also informs that Mandy is dead and shows Robert a picture of her dead body. While Teddy hopes to provoke some sort of reaction, Robert plays everything cool, further confirming his doubts that Robert is anything but an ordinary man. Subsequently, the detectives keep Robert under surveillance, and Robert understands he needs to quickly devise a plan to face his enemies. Teddy believes the clean tax records and everything about Robert’s current life are fabricated. Teddy decides to capture Robert alive. As usual, Robert reads a book, sitting at the all-night diner.
Robert immediately spots the goon disguised as a construction worker. In the ensuing confrontation, Robert overpowers the man and walks out of the diner with his mobile phone, clicking pictures of Teddy and Detective Masters waiting in the car. Robert leads them on a chase through the alleyways. He beats down the two other detectives, but Teddy learns that Robert is injured in his fight at the diner. Later, Teddy and the detectives break into Robert’s apartment and check his computer to see that Robert has bought a ticket to Mexico. But Teddy is sure that Robert isn’t going anywhere and is sure he is watching them right now.
How does Robert prepare for a showdown?
Robert leaves Boston to visit his former colleague Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) and her husband Brian (Bill Pullman). He seeks Susan’s help identifying Teddy and wants to learn about his operation. From Robert’s conversation with Brian, we learn that Robert has faked his own death to get away from the job. At the same time, Brian says this isn’t a complete surprise to Susan since Robert is capable of doing something like this for the sake of a fresh start. Later, Susan briefs Robert about Vladimir Pushkin. She says Robert has impacted Pushkin’s entire East Coast operation by taking out Slavi.
Susan also reveals that Teddy’s real name is Nicolai Itchenko. He is a Spetsnaz (special forces) operative who was in charge of a Russian Secret Police wing. When the Soviet Union fell, he became a mercenary of sorts. Susan also informs that the two Boston PDs under Pushkin’s payroll are found dead. Detective Masters, however, hasn’t shown up for work for days. The following day, Susan wonders why Robert is doing this for Alina. Robert offers a cryptic answer that because he can, and that’s who he is. As Robert leaves the place, Susan wishes him luck and to go be the man he is. When Brian asks if Susan was able to help him, she says Robert didn’t come for help but for permission.
The Equalizer (2014) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Robert use strategy and leverage to weaken Pushkin’s operations?
At Boston, Robert tracks down Detective Masters. He threatens Masters to make him take Robert to one of Pushkin’s money laundering warehouses. At the warehouse, Masters effortlessly overpowers Pushkin’s men and informs the FBI. While waiting for the FBI, Robert asks Masters to reveal more details about Pushkin’s East Coast Operations. Robert believes Masters would have detailed data on Pushkin as an escape plan. Robert is right as he secures a flash drive from a safety deposit box. Masters is arrested, and Robert leaves a note for the police: “Follow the money.”
Meanwhile, Teddy gears up to unleash an army of tough guys on Robert McCall. But Robert sneaks into the restaurant to have a face-to-face conversation with Teddy. Robert asks him to call Pushkin to shut down his operation, or else he will take them down one by one. Furthermore, Robert reveals an incident from Teddy, aka Nikolai’s past. It’s Robert’s way of saying I know more about you than you know about me. Later, Robert sends an email with all the details of Pushkin’s operations – the documents in the flash drive – to FBI Agent Mosley. Moreover, Robert keeps his word about doing more damage to Pushkin. He destroys two of the oligarch’s oil tankers.
How did Robert tackle Teddy and move forward?
In response, Teddy abducts the home improvement center employees, including Ralphie. He asks Robert to meet him at the store. But instead of negotiating with Teddy, Robert stealthily arrives at the store to kill Teddy’s men using the makeshift weapons from the store. Though Ralphie is injured a bit, Robert protects all the store employees. After a drawn-out yet well-staged fight, Robert eventually kills Teddy with a nail gun. Three days later, Robert is at Pushkin’s lavish mansion in Moscow. Pushkin encounters Robert as he gets out of the shower, and Robert tricks the unscrupulous oligarch into electrocuting himself. Later, as Robert walks out of the mansion, we see bodies of Pushkin’s guards strewn across the mansion.
Back home, Robert meets Alina, who, following her recovery, has started a new life with a real job. She talks about someone leaving an envelope containing nearly $10,000, which she wonders if it’s hush money. Alina is now reading books and thanks Robert for his compassion and encouragement. At the end of “The Equalizer,” we see Robert beginning a new chapter in his life as he responds to an online ad requesting help and continuing his equalizer role.
Antione Fuqua’s “The Equalizer” (2014) might not offer a meaningful take on the vigilante thriller subgenre. But it has wonderful pacing, engrossing action sequences, and a magnetic Washington performance. Antoine Fuqua made two sequels to “The Equalizer” that are as viscerally charged pulpy entertainment as the first film.
