Usually, the first film in a trilogy will often be the best. Not so with “The Equalizer”! The first film is actually the weakest, although it’s not without its charms. This entry has Robert McCall working at a Home Depot-type store, minding his own business. But when he befriends a young sex worker (Chloë Grace Moretz) being trafficked by the Russian mafia, Robert decides to kick some ass and take some names. This is your standard “one man army”-style action-thriller, and while the ending, which sees Robert turn his hardware store into a “Home Alone”–style death trap, delivers, the rest of the film is a touch unengaging. Washington is worth watching, as usual, but this is the least entertaining film in the trilogy. Watch it only to be a completist and then move on to the superior sequels.
