Equalizer 2

If you have a problem and there is nowhere else to turn, the mysterious and elusive Robert McCall will deliver the vigilante justice you seek. This time, however, McCall's past cuts especially close to home when hired thugs attack and kill Susan Plummer -- his best friend and former colleague. Now out for revenge, McCall must take on a crew of highly trained assassins who'll stop at nothing to destroy him.

Equalizer 2 is Denzel Washington's first sequel ever, and honestly, I feel like it could have been better. Just like he was in the first Equalizer Denzel is again excellent as Robert McCall, and it is still a lot of fun to see him act onscreen. The movie overall also had some pretty thrilling action sequence - especially the final fight between McCall and the main villain as a tropical storm rages around them. Unfortunately, what brought the movie down for me was the story. It was serviceable, but predictable. I guessed who the villain was a bit before the reveal. It also felt like just about every other revenge-flick out there. Was it fun? Sure. Was the action good? Definitely. But there wasn't much there that stood out to me to highlight the movie as great. In the first movie, I could feel the intensity of Denzel as McCall, but this time around there were several scenes where he just seemed...I don't know, bored.

There was one scene towards the end, that involves a subplot regarding an elderly gentleman who throughout the movie frequently hires McCall (as a Lyft driver in his spare time) to drive him around town so he can do research on an old, lost family heirloom. McCall (mild spoilers) helps the man in a way that is both heartbreaking and emotional.

I've never seen a performance from Denzel Washington - or movie as a whole - that I didn't like, and Equalizer 2 thankfully keeps that track record going. However, I unfortunately can't rank this very high among the list of my favorites.