"The Equalizer 2" Movie Review

The Equalizer 2 unfortunately went the way of most sequels, not living up to the first film's quality. While the sequel certainly had good points and a good message, the story was extremely predictable, so much so that I was bored through most of the film. Director Fuqua and writer Wenk decided to use the "slow buildup" style in order to make this film more of a mystery-solving type film. The problem is, I knew exactly who the villain was within minutes of their appearance on-screen. No, I didn't read any spoilers. It was just that obvious.

The Equalizer 2 picks up 4 years after the first film left off, finding Robert McCall in a new city. He's rented an apartment in a rough neighborhood and got a job as a Lyft driver. He would meet new people every day, trying to use his extraordinary skills to help as many people as possible. When Robert's close friend in the CIA is brutally murdered, he makes it his mission to discover who the killer is and give them a taste of their own medicine.

One thing I did love about this film was how personal the story was. The first film basically introduced us to Robert and showed us just how dangerous he really is but this one helped us get a bit closer to the character. Writer Wenk also did a good job of making us care for the side characters that Robert helps out in his spare time. From a mom whose daughter was kidnapped to a girl strung out on drugs by a bunch of guys to an old man searching for his long lost relative, Robert didn't turn anyone away. Miles was probably my favorite side character, mainly because I have known many people like him and I found myself wishing there had been a Robert McCall to help them.

While the emotion, acting, and action was all spectacular, the overall story was lacking. As I mentioned above, it was predictable and overly drawn out when it didn't need to be. In fact, if they had used this film to expand on Miles' story just like they did with Teri in the first film, I probably would have enjoyed it much more.

In conclusion, I do praise Fuqua for his directing skills and Wenk for the exceptional writing, but I have to deduct a chunk from my final rating due to the story angle. I give the film a 2.5 out of 4.