I was a bit skeptical about this one at first. As a kid I really liked the show; it was about a former British intelligence agent-turned-PI named Robert McCall (played by Edward Woodward). His specialty was helping people that had nowhere else to turn. Often they were threatened by dirty law enforcement or organized crime. At any rate the film manages to hit two of the top trends of the day- reboots of old TV shows and turning aging dramatic actors into action stars. Here we have Denzel Washington playing a typical Liam Neeson role. He is a widower retired from some kind of SPEC-OP or intelligence agency that's never specified. He spends his days working at the local "Home Mart" and helping his employees overcome obstacles to realizing their goals.
One night a young prostitute McCall has befriended is badly beaten by sadistic customer. Something in McCall snaps and he's compelled to put the situation right. But doing so initiates a cascade of unforeseen events.
This movie is a lot better than you'd expect and frankly a lot better than it needed to be. Washington's portrayal of McCall is more cerebral than your typical action star and the characters are very compelling. The cinematography is superb and the film is visually striking.
A film like this is going to have some nods to the well worn tropes of its genre but it's smarter and fresher than the typical aging-action-star offerings of late (like
Die Hard 25 or
The Expendables 15 
). In this sense it reminds me a lot A
Walk Among The Tombstones, Neeson's latest action thriller that also takes things up a notch or two above expectations.
In short I really liked this movie. Some purists bemoan Washington's "fall" from serious films to action movies. But to me this is nonsense. His thoughtful presence elevates the movie beyond trite action film conventions. He turns out to be a fine action star! Who knew he has this 2nd act still in his bag of tricks?
