A lot of them look okay, but to be honest I'm not really sure what they are thinking with "The Equalizer", from what I've seen they are using the title and main character name from the TV series, but then changing everything else about the character.
It's been a while but the original premise was that there was this unassuming seeming former MI6 guy who looked like someone's kindly grandfather, who recovered from the spy game and moved to the US to get away from where he did his field craft, and kept stepping in to protect people from criminal situations with his secret agent skills. What kind of made it different was that you had this old british dude who looked like he should be nothing, kicking people's butt.
The thing is Denzel Washington isn't old, and he isn't apparently acting British. Indeed Denzel Washington seems like you know... Denzel Washington, and carries himself like he could kick someone's butt. What's more they seem to be repurposing him as a special forces guy rather than a spy, which is a little different, being more of an overt blunt object.
Now, I have no problem with Denzel Washington playing an action hero, but this seems about as generic as it can get. "The Equalizer" wasn't exactly deep, it's one real gimmick was that it had an old guy who didn't look like he could kick your butt and had mad skillz but did (sort of like how Columbo doesn't seem like a genius detective... quite the opposite, but he is). You take that away from it, and what's the point? The fact that the Equalizer was British was also part of why he was supposed to be off everyone's radar in the US if I remember as well.
It could be that I'm remembering it wrong, and I know Denzel Washington isn't exactly young, but I don't know... I just think he looks too overtly tough and doesn't seem old/frail enough in that trailer. It's not going to be the same kind of "surprise" thing when he say turns around and drops a few young toughs in unarmed combat. Not to mention he still sort of looks like someone I'd want to back me up in a fight, not the whole "umm that's nice, but what can you do you sweet old man" thing that I remember sometimes happening in The Equalizer... because again, nobody knew that he was basically James Bond after retirement.
It's been a while but the original premise was that there was this unassuming seeming former MI6 guy who looked like someone's kindly grandfather, who recovered from the spy game and moved to the US to get away from where he did his field craft, and kept stepping in to protect people from criminal situations with his secret agent skills. What kind of made it different was that you had this old british dude who looked like he should be nothing, kicking people's butt.
The thing is Denzel Washington isn't old, and he isn't apparently acting British. Indeed Denzel Washington seems like you know... Denzel Washington, and carries himself like he could kick someone's butt. What's more they seem to be repurposing him as a special forces guy rather than a spy, which is a little different, being more of an overt blunt object.
Now, I have no problem with Denzel Washington playing an action hero, but this seems about as generic as it can get. "The Equalizer" wasn't exactly deep, it's one real gimmick was that it had an old guy who didn't look like he could kick your butt and had mad skillz but did (sort of like how Columbo doesn't seem like a genius detective... quite the opposite, but he is). You take that away from it, and what's the point? The fact that the Equalizer was British was also part of why he was supposed to be off everyone's radar in the US if I remember as well.
It could be that I'm remembering it wrong, and I know Denzel Washington isn't exactly young, but I don't know... I just think he looks too overtly tough and doesn't seem old/frail enough in that trailer. It's not going to be the same kind of "surprise" thing when he say turns around and drops a few young toughs in unarmed combat. Not to mention he still sort of looks like someone I'd want to back me up in a fight, not the whole "umm that's nice, but what can you do you sweet old man" thing that I remember sometimes happening in The Equalizer... because again, nobody knew that he was basically James Bond after retirement.
