The Equalizer

Adults need superheros as much as kids do, and "The Equalizer" provides big kids a slightly, more realistic version of "Superman." There's no explanation about the planet Krypton. We simply meet Clark Kent, our hero in the guise of an everyman, a retail employee at a massive home improvement superstore, named Robert McCall (Denzel Washington). He lives alone with one plate, one spoon, one fork, and one glass. Co-workers wonder about McCall's mysterious past, and he tells them that he used to be a "Pip" (as in Gladys Night and the...).

This man's super powers (or "skills," as most of these ultra-human abilities have been learned) may have remained dormant in a self-imposed exile. But while McCall is drinking tea and reading a book at the same caf� he does every night, Teri (Chloe Moretz) a young girl with the odds stacked against her introduces herself. McCall knows that she's an abused sex worker who wants to get out, so he tries to buy her freedom. What he doesn't realize is she's under the control of dangerous Russian gangsters (namely the ominous sociopath Teddy [Marton Csokas]).

Maybe McCall can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, but the camera lets us know that he spots details in slow motion, extreme close ups that enable him to enact vengeance against the forces of evil. It's not x-ray vision; it's more like OCD, but it still allows him to take down small armies of armed men, as demonstrated in the film's sensational final sequence. (You'll never look at a Home Depot in the same way.)

This sharply designed, well coded Blu-ray comes with all the fixings: Clean menus, easy to follow displays, a photo gallery and four behind-the-scenes featurettes - "Inside 'The Equalizer,'" "Denzel Washington: A Different Kind of Superhero," "Equalizer Vision" and "One Man Army: Training and Fighting." On top of that, there's a tongue-in-cheek look at McCall's place of employment, Home Mart, and a kind of PSA about Children of the Night an organization that helps girls move away from sex work.

You can watch the feature as is or in "Vengeance Mode," which sounds awesome but is actually just the feature with behind the scenes commentary spliced into it. This would be better if the transitions were smoother. Nevertheless, the Blu-ray design alone is enough to excite viewers into seeking out the underdog, fighting for justice and kicking some ass for good.

"The Equalizer"
Blu-ray
Rated R / 131 min.
www.SonyPictures.com