7 / 10. An enjoyable thriller, yet lacking the punch of the first film

The Equalizer 2 is an action thriller film sequel to The Equalizer (2014), directed by Antoine Fuqua, based on the TV series of the same name.

Mysterious vigilante and tough as nails ex US Marine Robert McCall is once again pulled out of the quiet life he craves to investigate the death of close friend and former DIA colleague, Susan Plummer. McCall finds himself in the path of highly trained assassins hell bent on silencing him, permanently…

Denzel Washington always delivers great performances and he seems to really enjoy playing Robert McCall, the smooth yet commanding ex-Marine, but I felt that this sequel lacked the punch of The Equalizer.

The sub plots including searching for lost paintings and helping his neighbour Miles avoid being initiated into a local gang hold interest, and Denzel’s McCall has some great scenes with Miles (Ashton Sanders), but it was a bit predictable how events played out.

I like Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones and Narcos) but he lacked his usual charisma here as DIA Officer Dave York. Bill Pullman as Brian Plummer and Melissa Leo as Susan were good as usual, albeit in small roles.

The Equalizer 2 is an enjoyable thriller, and the showdown during the hurricane is an interesting scene, but it wasn’t easy to follow and blurry, without the inventive kills that the first film had in abundance.