10 Movies That Prove Pod People Run Hollywood

10. The Equalizer

Based on the TV show that aired on CBS from 1985-9, The Equalizer reteams Denzel Washington with Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, but anyone who's ever seen a thriller made by human hands will be ahead of the story at every turn.

Tired clichés are the order of the day, from slimy foreign gangsters to dirty cops, plus there’s also dialogue of the “f**k you, you mother**ker” variety and Chloe Moretz as a teenage hooker (with a heart of gold, obviously) who has Taxi Driver written all over her.

When she’s hospitalized by thugs, Denzel wipes out those responsible, which leads to a cat-and-mouse game with mobster Teddy (Marton Csokas, also a slimy foreigner in XXX and The Bourne Supremacy). You know the drill: they talk in a restaurant, Denzel gives him the “I’ve done things I’m not proud of” speech, Teddy decides to “send him a message” etc.

The script is by Richard Wenk, who also co-wrote The Expendables 2 and The Mechanic, so if you thought those efforts were by the numbers and surprise-free, you needn’t waste your time here. The Equalizer just wants to party like it’s 1989 and ignore how familiar the material is.