The Equalizer’sending paid homage to the TV series with its final scene, but I’m glad the sequels ignored it. Much has been made of the fact thatThe Equalizermoviesare the only time (to date) that Denzel Washington has reprised a character.
Washington has played the titular vigilante across three movies, whiletwo moreEqualizersequelsare on the way.While it appeared custom built for a sequel, screenwriter Richard Wenk toldSpyHardsthat Denzel himself pushed against this idea while making the first one. In Denzel’s mind, audiences would decide if they wanted more.
The Equalizerends with Washington’s McCall embracing his new identity as a vigilante who helps good people get out of trouble, through a combination of smarts, punches and the occasional cockscrew. The movie closes with McCall answering a Craigslist ad asking if he can help somebody out.
The Equalizer 2 Ignored The Original’s Lazy “Odds Against You?” Sequel Setup
The Equalizer’s ending was a studio note
This is a nod to the original show, where Edward Woodward’s McCall helped people after they contacted him through a classified newspaper ad that read “Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer.”
The issue withThe Equalizer’sfinal scene is that the movie is very much its own thing, while this scene makes it look like the sequels will be more like the seriesmoving forward. Outside of the basic setup, Denzel’s adaptation goes in its own direction.
It turns out the inclusion of this ad also went against the screenwriter’s wishes, who felt the movie and show needed to be separate entities. Of the final scene, Wenk stated:
The only thing they did use from the TV show, which they jettisoned from the other movies as you’ll see, was the very end of the movie where he placed an ad online, which I fought against. But that was sort of the, you know, the compromise. But it never came up again in any of the other movies.
The Equalizer’sending teases an adventure of the week formula for future sequels, where - like the show - each entry would involve McCall helping out a new client. This worked for the show, but it would have been a lazy approach for the movies to do the same.
The Equalizer Did A Great Job Separating From The Show
The Equalizerwas a really entertaining show, but it hasn’t aged terribly well and is considered more of a nostalgia item now.The Antoine Fuqua-directed moviewas right to do its own thing, and it turns out the solution to the sequel tease was… to just ignore it.
Again, no shade on the original series, but since the film was tonally so different, trying to tie itself back into the show’s formula was a mistake.While they share some character traits, the movie and television McCalls are very different, with Denzel’s version being a lonely widower while Woodward’s McCall was divorced with two grown children.
This separation gave the adaptation its own unique persona and paved the way for sequels to do their own thing. However,had they followed through on the first movie’s ending tease, McCall mightstillbe answering Craigslist ads.
The Equalizer Sequels Worked Because Each Entry Was Very Different
The Equalizer Goes To Italy!
Another element I like aboutThe Equalizermovies is that they’re all distinct from each other. Part one is McCall finding his purpose, part two is seeking peace for his past and part three is about Robert finding a new homefor himself.
Each Equalizer movie has its own tone, flavor and cast of characters, and they aren’t content to just repeat the original.
The Equalizerone is a gritty crime drama, part two is a thriller that sees McCall helping out various people while looking into a friend’s murder, while the third entry takes McCall to Italy. They all have their own tone, flavour and cast of characters, and aren’t content to just repeat the original.
Hopefully,The Equalizer 4repeats this mantra - assuming it happens. If not, the series will be unique in itself for giving Denzel his only franchise.
Source:SpyHards Podcast
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is a crime-focused action-thriller franchise initially created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. The franchise began with the 1985 series that followed Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent who uses his deadly and varied skillset to help those that society cannot save. The film franchise has stood out as the most iconic, with Denzel Washington in the role of the new Robert McCall, with a reboot television series starring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall.
Cast
The Equalizer is an action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a former intelligence operative who lives a quiet life in Boston. When he encounters a young girl named Teri, played by Chloë Grace Moretz, threatened by violent Russian gangsters, McCall comes out of retirement to use his skills to restore justice. The film reimagines the 1980s TV series of the same name.
