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The Equalizer

year 2014decade 10sdirector Antoine Fuqua

131 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Denzel Washington Robert McCall
David Harbour Masters
Bill Pullman Brian Plummer
Melissa Leo Susan Plummer
Johnny Skourtis Ralphie

The Equalizer | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Bill’s Dadproducer Jesse Lopez
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Picking Nits

Whether the diner really opens all night is disputed.

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:03Read transcript
  • An all-night diner is questioned; other Boston diners reportedly stayed open late, but the time of this visit is unclear.
  • Right field is questioned as a low-leverage position; another thinks it was left. Hiding ability is a defense and left field an alternative.
  • The player’s statistics, contribution and near collision are questions or guesses, not known results.
  • Killing six people after talking to the woman three times seems excessive. Paying9800dollars for freedom is a defense, though he may have been itching to kill.
  • Hot honey treating a cut is questioned; adhesive is only a guess, not verified care guidance.
  • When the car stops on the bridge and the guy smacks her, not acting is surprising; keeping Elena in the dark is the proposed explanation.
  • The convenient coma, exact9800dollar figure and access to the corrupt policeman’s phone number are questioned.
  • The women are considered implausibly good-looking; this is a subjective casting complaint.
  • The researched watch reportedly lacks the stopwatch seen onscreen; agency modification is a joking defense.
  • The colleague’s Foreigner shirt seems incongruous, with irony or inheritance offered as guesses.
  • The colleague feels like a second dependent character delaying the action. Funnier casting is proposed and challenged; the weight requirement and hiring process are questioned.
  • Commercial travel to Russia and access to the protected oligarch are raised as a late nitpick.
  • Funnier Ralphie casting proposes2002HoratioSands (observed Horatio Sands; identity unverified) or1995ChrisFarley, followed by the objection that Ralphie need not be funny.

Roger Ebert's review

Rating not yet verified

No Ebert review; a different critic’s positive passage is read.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:20Read transcript
  • No review is available from Ebert, with uncertain recollection of his death date. The substitute passage is positive but unrated; the suggested three stars are the host’s estimate.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Knowledge of the hero, softball, an outfit homage and the better sequel are debated.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:07Read transcript
  • Whether the young woman knows who helped her is debated, with her thanks evidence that she does.
  • The softball season’s aftermath and whether colleagues know his home are uncertain; easy access by some people contrasts with the Russians’ difficulty.
  • The policeman’s costume is compared with Billy Costigan; deliberate homage versus ordinary local dress is unresolved.
  • The sequel is considered slightly better, with agreement and praise for its villain and stronger motivation; the original gets credit for launching the franchise.

Casting What-Ifs

An earlier star/director version, older actresses and another director were considered.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:26Read transcript
  • The reported earlier version paired Crow with Haggis; older actresses including Kendrick were considered before the seventeen-year-old won the role.
  • The actress reportedly gained weight on advice for the role; another director, associated with Drive, left shortly before the project came together. These are unverified production claims.

Recasting Couch

Mostly well cast; an alternative Teddy is proposed with drawbacks.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:07Read transcript
  • One answer needs no changes; another proposes Crow as Teddy for an American Gangster reunion, while cost and suitability qualify it.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Locations, characterization, books and television history are reported.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:48Read transcript
  • The apartment address is given; the diner was a converted floor-covering shop in Chelsea, so it did not exist as a real diner.
  • The script originally lacked background; the lead reportedly added the compulsive behavior and former-colleague backstory. More history comes in the sequel.
  • A tattoo translation and the leather-bound library’s origin are reported; the final book is identified as Invisible Man.
  • Television research describes four acting nominations and the original character’s son, played by Zabka for twelve episodes; the son’s storyline remains unknown.
  • The apartment is reported at40FalconStreet in EastBoston.
  • The diner is reported at25EverettAvenue in Chelsea, a Chelsea Floor Covering business converted over two months; these are reported production details, not externally checked addresses.
  • The upper-back tattoo transcribed C M E P T B is said to be the Russian word smurt, meaning death; spelling and translation remain unverified.
  • The book purchase is described as Proust for40dollars, while the last book set down is identified as Invisible Man; no specific Proust title supplied.