The Equalizer 2 Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

4. The Surprisingly Poignant Tone

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the entire film is its affectingly humanistic tone. Sure, this is a movie where Denzel cuts up a dudebro's face with his own credit card, but it's also a film that devotes a lot of time to McCall attempting to stop Ashton Sanders' Miles from getting pulled into a life of gang crime.

That this doesn't end up seeming corny or cliched is a testament to Washington and Sanders' standout performances, best exemplified by a legitimately moving sequence in which McCall pulls Miles from a gang meeting and barks at him, "You don't know what death is!"

As proficient as McCall is at dismantling bad guys, there's a clear layer of pain beneath it all and a desire to do the right thing, and Washington conveys this in an unexpectedly heartfelt way.

Similarly, though the subplot with the Holocaust survivor might feel unnecessary, it's acted with absolute conviction and therefore brings some easy surprise gravitas to the movie.