By: Miguel Ernesto Yusty

Denzel Washington is one of the most consistent actors of the late 20th century. His talent and intelligence allow him to handle complex characters with ease, and his portrayal of Malcolm X is one of his most memorable performances. His role in THE EQUALIZER 2, released in 2018, is another foray into the action genre, and it has garnered mixed reviews.

The film is the sequel to a story in which a seemingly unassuming man dispenses justice with his fists. It's a vigilante film, like the one Charles Bronson championed and on which figures like Keanu Reeves and Liam Neeson base much of their fame today. Films like Equalizer 2 leave a disturbing message, because they assert that the state is ineffective at enforcing the law and that a single man can accomplish what the state should achieve with all its resources. They are also symptomatic of the need to strengthen social structures, so that stability and security are the responsibility of legally established institutions and not messianic figures willing to impose the law by force.

Beyond any academic analysis, Antoine Fuqua's direction and Denzel Washington's performance generate a sense of catharsis that manages to turn the film into a box office phenomenon difficult to achieve for other types of films.