Denzel Washington Action Thriller On Netflix Is One Of The Best Of The Decade

By Jason Collins | Published

Netflix is home to a rather vast library of titles, ranging from comedy to horror and romance, and everything you can think of in between those three probably found its home on the world’s largest streamer. Each week, the streamer releases a list of the most popular titles from the world of television and film that are receiving the most love from its subscriber base, and Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer from 2014 is currently trending in the top 10.

Denzel Launched A Franchise

The Equalizer is probably one of the most iconic action movies ever since it gave birth to two more sequels—all of which are good if you like Denzel Washington as a one-man-army). The movie follows a retired UMSC and DIA/DCS operative who now lives a quiet life in Boston, where he works at a big-box home improvement store while spending late nights at an all-night diner reading books during sleepless nights. Over time, he befriends Teri, a teenage sex worker who has been trafficked by the Russian mob.

Sets On A Path Of Righteous Justice

After Teri’s Russian procurer physically injures Teri by beating her within the inch of her life, Denzel Washinton’s character—whose name is Robert McCall, by the way—confronts him peacefully, trying to buy Teri’s freedom. However, after her procurer, Slavi, refuses, Robert calmly walks to his office doors, locks himself inside with the Russian mobster and his goons, and assesses their weapons. After that, all hell breaks loose, as he singlehandedly kills everything living inside the room—the Equalizer who extracts justice on behalf of innocent people trapped in dangerous situations.

Everything Is A Weapon

Of course, this sets off an entire chain of events involving DIA and some really dangerous people within the Russian mafia, only to end with Robert killing them all—some were dispatched in a rather creative way. We won’t spoil the ending, but The Equalizer is a really good piece of action cinematography; compared to other action movies with flashy moves and explosions, The Equalizer is stylishly and meticulously violent while also exploring the themes of personal redemption, justice, and the fight against abuse and exploitation.

All Three Movies Are Fantastic

The Equalizer was a reasonable success among the critics, but the audiences loved the movie, which was reflected in its earnings; the film made more than $192 million against a $55-73 million budget and gave birth to a new franchise. The subsequent sequels were equally successful as the original movie; all three made approximately $190 million against estimated budgets of around $70 million, but The Equalizer 3, the latest film in the franchise, has the best rating among the critics and with another great performance from Denzel Washington, which attests to the quality of the action franchise.

Stream Now On Netflix

As previously stated, The Equalizer is an excellent piece of action cinematography, so it’s not all that surprising to see it pop up in the Top 10 lists from time to time—in the end, the algorithm works in mysterious ways. For those interested in seeing The Equalizer, the movie is trending on Netflix, so it’ll be hard to miss.