The Equalizer 2 Information

The Equalizer 2 (sometimes promoted as The Equalizer II or EQ2) is a 2018 American thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua. It is a sequel to the 2014 film The Equalizer, which was based on the TV series of the same name. The film stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, and Bill Pullman, and follows retired DIA agent Robert McCall as he sets out on a path of revenge after one of his friends is killed. It is the fourth collaboration between Washington and Fuqua, following the first film, Training Day (2001), and The Magnificent Seven (2016).

Talks of an Equalizer sequel began seven months prior to the release of the first film, in 2014. The project was officially announced in April 2015, with Washington set to reprise his role, and Fuqua confirming his return to direct in September 2016. Filming began in September 2017, and took place in Boston, as well as other areas around Massachusetts and Istanbul, Turkey. It marks the first time Denzel Washington has ever starred in a sequel to one of his films.

The Equalizer 2 was released in the United States on July 20, 2018, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film has grossed over $39 million and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Washington's performance and the action sequences, but disliked the pacing and development of the plot.

Plot

Robert McCall now lives in a diverse apartment complex in urban Massachusetts, working as a Lyft driver and helping the less fortunate with the help from his friend, Susan Plummer. One of McCall's loyal Lyft customers, Sam Rubinstein, an elderly Holocaust survivor, is looking for a painting of his sister who was separated from him while being sorted out to different camps. McCall asks Susan to help locate information on the painting. When discovering the apartment complex has been vandalized, McCall also finds an acquaintance in Miles Whittaker, a young resident with an artistic but troubled background. One day, Susan was called to investigate an apparent murder-suicide in Brussels along with DIA operative Dave York, McCall's former teammate. After the investigation, they return to their hotel where Susan encounters assailants and is killed.

During his shift driving, McCall encounters an assailant posing as a passenger, who he dispatches and gathers all of his belongings and intel. The following morning, McCall visits the York residence, appearing to need assistance in breaking through a military grade encryption on the assailant's phone last contact. However, McCall traces the contact to York's phone, revealing that he was the one who killed Susan. Because of McCall's apparent death, the remaining members of the team had been fired, and were forced to find work as freelance assassins. Susan became a target because she would have suspected that the event in Brussels was from one of her own former colleagues and eventually traced it back to York. McCall meets with the three remaining teammates, Resnik, Ari, and Kovac, who threaten McCall that they will go after him as McCall heeds a stern warning that he will be coming for them. York and Kovac later infiltrate McCall's apartment and capture Miles, and deduce where McCall is headed to.

As a hurricane draws in, McCall returns to his seaside hometown that has been evacuated. Kovac, Ari, and Resnik head in after McCall as York situates himself at the town's watchtower in a sniper's position. Kovac enters a tackle shop and is killed with a harpoon gun. Ari heads toward the seaside and is disturbed by pictures of Susan along the way, and is then caught off guard and is stabbed by McCall. McCall enters his wife's old bakery to lure in Resnik, who is killed after the grenade he tossed into the building sets off a trap set by McCall. Enraged, York shoots at his car, which has Miles tied up in the trunk. With the storm growing heavier, York is knocked down before being confronted by McCall atop the tower. McCall gets the upper hand, stabs York and shoves him over the edge, killing him. McCall retrieves Miles from the trunk and takes him to his old house to treat his wounds.

Back in Massachusetts, Susan's information on the painting helps McCall to reunite Sam with his long-lost-sister. Miles finishes the apartment complex restoration from the vandalism, returns to school, and focuses on his art. McCall, having moved back into his old house, then looks out towards the calm sea.

Cast

• Denzel Washington as Robert McCall
• Pedro Pascal as Dave York
• Ashton Sanders as Miles Whittaker
• Bill Pullman as Brian Plummer
• Melissa Leo as Susan Plummer
• Sakina Jaffrey as Fatima
• Jonathan Scarfe as Resnik
• Adam Karst as Turkish Father
• Kazy Tauginas as Ari
• Garrett Golden as Kovac
• Orson Bean as Sam Rubinstein

Production

On February 24, 2014, seven months before the release of The Equalizer, it was announced that Sony Pictures and Escape Artists were planning a sequel, with Richard Wenk penning the script again. In early October 2014, Antoine Fuqua stated that there would be a sequel to the film only if audiences and Denzel Washington wanted it. He said it was an interesting character, and that the sequel could have more of an international flavor.

On April 22, 2015, Sony officially announced a sequel, with Washington returning to his role as vigilante Robert McCall. Fuqua's returning was not yet confirmed. In September 2016, producer Todd Black revealed that the script of the film was complete, and that Fuqua would return to direct, with shooting set to begin in September 2017.

On August 21, 2017, Pedro Pascal was cast in an unspecified role. Two days later, Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman were confirmed to reprise their roles from the first film, as Susan and Brian Plummer, and it was reported that the film would be produced by Jason Blumenthal, Black, Washington, Steve Tisch, Mace Neufeld, Alex Siskin and Tony Eldridge. On August 24, 2017, Ashton Sanders joined the film to play a character who comes to consider Washington's McCall a father figure. On March 25, 2018, it was revealed that Sakina Jaffrey had also been added to the cast.

Filming

Principal photography on the film began in the South End area of Boston, Massachusetts, on September 14, 2017. Filming also took place on Lynn Shore Drive in Lynn, Massachusetts, as well as in Marshfield, Massachusetts and Istanbul, Turkey.

While Sony and other publications reported the film was made on a net production budget of $62 million, Deadline Hollywood stated their sources insisted the cost was "in the high [$70 million]" range after Massachusetts tax credits.

Music

Harry Gregson-Williams returned to score this film. The soundtrack was released by Sony Classical.

Release

The Equalizer 2 was released on July 20, 2018, by Sony Pictures. Sony had originally scheduled the film for a September 29, 2017 release, and later pushed it back a year to September 14, 2018, then up to August 3, 2018, before settling on its July 20 date.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The Equalizer 2 was released alongside Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Unfriended: Dark Web, and was projected to gross $27-32 million from 3,388 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $3.1 million from Thursday night previews, double the $1.45 million earned by the original film in 2014, and $13.5 million on its first day. It went on to debut to $35.8 million, finishing first at the box office. It also bested the opening of the first film ($34.1 million) and was the third-best domestic start for Washington.

Critical response

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 104 reviews, and an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Equalizer 2 delivers the visceral charge of a standard vigilante thriller, but this reunion of trusted talents ultimately proves a disappointing case study in diminishing returns." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, up from the first film's "A-", while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 86% overall positive score and a 69% "definite recommend".

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a "C-", saying: "The good news is that the fans of Antoine Fuqua's The Equalizer "? a bland and pulpy 2014 riff on the '80s TV series of the same name "? are in for more of the same. The bad news is that the rest of us are, too."