What is the significance of The Equalizer? Explain the difference between films and dramas.
//Summary - Level-C2//
The "Equalizer" series, through its incarnations as films starring Denzel Washington, explores the theme of justice via the protagonist's extraordinary combat skills and moral compass. The series delves into the nuanced meanings of "equaliser," including pursuing equality and using weapons for justice. While films focus on McCall's solitary, intense quest against injustice, dramatisations add layers to their portrayal of personal relationships and a broader support network. Both mediums highlight McCall's dual nature as a protector and a weapon, offering exhilarating action and profound reflections on the nature of justice and morality.
Equalizer is spelled "equaliser." This word means a person, device, or system that maintains balance. "Equalizer" is also sometimes used as a slang term to refer to weapons that can cause deadly damage, such as knives and firearms.
1)
The "Equalizer" series, in which a former special agent saves the weak and eliminates evil with his invincible strength, includes a movie starring Denzel Washington, a drama starring Queen Latifah, and two other works.
In this article, we will explain the similarities and differences between the film and the drama series, deepen our understanding of the meaning behind the title "The Equalizer", and explore the series' appeal.
Equalizer has several meanings, including equality and weapons.
2)
First, explain the multiple meanings of the word "Equalizer". If you were asked, "What's an equaliser?" someone familiar with music would probably reply, "It's an acoustic term".
An equaliser is an audio device that adjusts the balance between bass and treble to improve sound uniformity and quality.
However, as someone unfamiliar with audio equipment, it only vaguely comes to mind as an "acoustic term", and even when someone mentions it as "a device that adjusts the balance of sound", it doesn't make any sense. So I decided to get out my old English-Japanese dictionary and look up the meaning of the word "equaliser".
The English-Japanese dictionary says "Equalizer" means a person or thing made equal. When I learned the meaning, I thought, "I see!
In the movie "The Equalizer", the main character, Robert McCall, played by Denzel Washington, tries to save people treated unequally, eliminate evil and make the world equal.
3)
The dictionary also had this continuation: Equalizer also has the meaning of a weapon (such as a gun, club, or knife). Robert McCall is an expert with weapons such as guns, clubs and knives, but he also has an unparalleled strength that allows him to turn anything around him into a weapon.
For example, in the first film in the series, The Equalizer (2014), McCall sneaks into an enemy's hideout unprotected and fights for guns and knives, but he uses a wine corkscrew that happens to be on the table. And fights multiple enemies.
4)
In other words, Robert McCall's existence is a kind of weapon (equaliser). McCall, who displays invincible strength with a former special agent's fighting skills, destroys the world's evil, challenges, and equalises the inequalities to save the oppressed people.
Equalizer is a word that expresses the existence of Robert McCall, who is both a man and a weapon of survival.
5)
Are there three "equalisers"? Differences and similarities between drama and film
The movie "The Equalizer", starring Denzel Washington, has a drama based on it.
There is also a reboot version of the drama starting in 2021, so there will be two dramas and one movie series called "The Equalizer" in the world.
Below is a summary of the similarities and differences between the three works.
6)
Drama "The Secret Hunter (Original title: Equalizer)" (1985-1989)
"The Secret Hunter" is an action crime drama about Robert McCall, a former secret government agent who rescues people in trouble. It ran for four seasons on CBS in the United States from 1985 to 1989.
The main character, McCall, is played by Edward Woodward, a Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate. McCall, who lives in New York, looks like a British gentleman, wears luxurious suits, and rescues troubled people from unfortunate situations.
7)
The Equalizer film series starring Denzel Washington
The film version of "The Equalizer" is an action movie about former CIA agent Robert McCall, who hides his identity, lives as a civilian after his retirement, and deals with the wrongdoings he accidentally learns about.
"The Equalizer" (2014), where he works at a hardware store in Boston and helps those around him and saves a young prostitute; "The Equalizer 2", where he works as a taxi driver and investigates the murder of his former boss and friend at the CIA, Susan. (2018), and "The Equalizer THE FINAL" (2023), which is set in Italy and saves a village from mafia harassment.
Robert McCall, played by two-time Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, is a nervous man traumatised by the death of his wife.
Although he wishes to live a quiet life as a citizen, he cannot overlook evil and intervene to correct injustice on behalf of those mistreated.
8)
Drama "The Equalizer" (2021-)
The main character is a female version of the original Robert McCall, called Robin McCall. She may seem like any other woman living as a single mother in New York with her teenage daughter, but she is a high-level former CIA agent.
9)
The charm and similarities of the three series: Invincible power and action scenes
The three series have in common that the main character, McCall, is a talented former agent who uses his unusually high combat skills to confront enemies and help those in need.
What they also have in common is that, at first glance, it is hard to believe that he is a former agent with invincible fighting skills: he looks like a British gentleman, he seems like an ordinary citizen working in a hardware store, and he looks like a harmless single mother.
When McCall is confronted by his enemy, he says: He looks weak. After being mocked, his unprecedented turnaround is a must-see action scene that will leave viewers feeling exhilarated.
10)
What is the appeal of the film version of The Equalizer? Justice or madness? The darkness of a man of contradictions
In the film version of "The Equalizer", as mentioned above, Robert McCall, played by Denzel Washington, uses his glasses as a former special agent to enforce social justice.
How justice is done is unique. Denzel's version of McCall is not asked to do so by anyone, and instead of overlooking the evil around him, he decides to take social justice into his own hands. Depending on how you look at it, he could be called a "meddler" because he defeats the bad guys without telling the victims themselves.
In short, he tends to lose his patience when he sees terrible things and ends up punishing them.
Is this something like the fate of people who have become living weapons (Equalisers)? Or is it a medical problem?
McCall has a very nervous personality, keeps slamming his door, and seems to suffer from mental problems.
11)
The biggest highlight is McCall's ruthless decisiveness, as he instantly assesses the situation and decides which weapon to use to defeat which enemy. It only takes tens of seconds to take out multiple enemies! He's someone you don't want to be your enemy.
McCall's invincibility and ability to defeat multiple enemies instantly and the artfully staged action scenes make the movie version so appealing.
In addition, Denzel Washington's performance carefully focuses on McCall's dark side, creating a dark charm.
McCall's dual nature, like a hero of justice who helps the weak but also like a murderous weapon who ruthlessly disposes of evil people, is what makes McCall so attractive, and at the same time, it may be what corrodes his spirit.
Two contradictory beings coexist within McCall, like an angel and a devil. This contradiction tortures him, and a scene at the beginning of his latest film, "The Equalizer The Final", which is currently in cinemas, gives the impression that he might think, "I just want to end it."
12)
In the drama version of "The Equalizer, "McCall is a woman. The arrival of the most potent single mother
Set in the same New York as the original, it is a crime thriller about Robin McCall, a former CIA agent who juggles being a single mother to her daughter while working behind the scenes to help the underprivileged.
The difference with the film version is that Robin, played by Queen Latifah, has a family. The story is also appealing because it depicts the relationships between family members, including Deliyah, the rebellious daughter, and her aunt Vi, who cared for Robin while living a free life as an artist.
She was living a double life as an equaliser, saving the weak and defeating evil, while at home, she had to turn off her most robust soldier mentality and face her boyfriend's daughter as a single mother, which was quite tricky.
Another difference is that Robin has members who support his activities as an equaliser. Robin's friends Mel, a skilled sniper; Mel's husband Harry, a genius hacker; and Dante, a policeman who initially pursued Robin, use their respective skills to help Robin reform the world.
13)
Summary
We have explained the meaning behind the title "The Equalizer" and the differences between movies and dramas. Is McCall a former agent who uses his invincible strength to destroy evil to save the weak in society, good or evil, or is he a human being who has reached a higher realm that transcends good and evil?
Please enjoy both the film and the drama and check it out.
What is the significance of The Equalizer? Explain the difference between films and dramas.
Add info)
Eat, pray, execute. "The Equalizer THE FINAL" Impressions & Reviews
It has been long since people started using the phrase "not simply promoting good and punishing evil" as a compliment. It is undoubtedly essential to question the nature of stories in which "good guys defeat bad guys," the world's most common form of fiction. There is no way this complicated world can be so clearly divided into "good" and "bad" colours, and it is also impossible to divide people with complex inner lives into "good people" and "bad people."
So, is the "simple story of good people defeating bad people" a relic of the past? The "Equalizer" series is a movie that shows again that this is not the case. The main character executes the wrong people who are tormenting good people... It's a highly B-grade violent story and "a simple story of good people defeating bad people." However, it is true that the ideals and hopes that we, living in an unreasonable reality, yearn for somewhere deep in our hearts are alive there.
The latest work, "The Equalizer THE FINAL", was a splendid work suitable for bringing the series to a close.
A)
There is one line that McCall delivers in "THE FINAL" that is particularly memorable. He tells his Mafia brother Marco: Whatever you and your friends do, do it elsewhere but here. Those who see McCall as an "ally of justice" who emphasises fairness may be taken aback by this line, which can be said to sound selfish.
B)
However, Mr McCall is not a 'hero' in the traditional sense. Apart from the fact that killing villains gruesomely is not typical of a hero, Mr McCall is a person who is "unable to overlook evil and injustice" because of his neurotic nature, which he has had for many years. Of course, he wouldn't want to kill anyone if he didn't have to, but when someone does bad things around him, he gets anxious and has no choice but to kill them, like swatting a noisy mosquito.
C)
As a compromise, he suggested, "If you want to do something bad, do it somewhere else, out of my control." It can be said that this is a symbolic line that reflects Mr McCall's ego and limitations as a violent device that prevents him from becoming a "hero". The only things he can protect are the people in his community and the rare people who ask for his help.
D)
However, I think that what makes "The Equalizer" a particular show, and what sets it apart from typical vigilante violence stories, is its portrayal of "citizens living within their communities". The prostitute who admires the singer in the first film, the clerk who wants to be a security guard, the young black man who likes the paintings in the second film, the older man who doesn't believe his stories, etc., all manage to survive in an unreasonable and unequal world (we) are the unsung protagonists of The Equalizer series.
E)
The Equalizer: The Final'' also depicts such ordinary people in a well-defined way through their interactions with Mr McCall. They live each day with modest lives, hopes, pleasures, secret dreams and precious memories.
F)
Like the Mafia in this work and the villains in the previous series, acts that trample on the essential things of ordinary people for their desires and profits are difficult to do now that "simple encouragement of good and evil" has become difficult. Even today, it can be called absolute "evil". And I think that Mr McCall's efforts to protect the lives of such people, and the fact that people stand up on their own to safeguard Mr McCall, can be called "good".
G)
Killing people isn't good. So there is no way that Mr McCall can be said to be 100% "good". A tragic conflict between Israel and Palestine has just taken place (or rather, has continued to take place...), so in a way, is it okay to innocently enjoy this work that turns lynching and retaliation into entertainment? This feeling should not be forgotten either.
H)
Still, I can't help but think that humanity still needs entertainment that condemns evil and says "bad things are bad". Especially in a society like Japan (especially those in power, corporations and governments) where the evil that tramples on the weak is relativised with "ambiguous form" and conversely praised as a "swallow everything" attitude.
There are still many "evils" that I wish Mr McCall would destroy, even if they are not "the final ones". The joy you feel when the bad guys are crushed in the "The Equalizer" series may be dark. But it's a joy this world still needs.
