Verdict: "The Equalizer" isn't Denzel Washington's best action movie, but it might be the purest expression of the Oscar winner as an action star. It has very little plot and even less time for nonsense. But it's an enjoyable watch and plays off Denzel's ability to be the strong and silent type while also letting him shoot someone dead with a nail gun. If this movie hadn't come out a month before "John Wick," I'd swear it copied the latter's bloodthirsty desire for eye-popping kills.

"The Equalizer" might be the perfect example of "action-star Denzel." This is a Denzel Washington archetype I discussed in my previous Denzel Watchathon movie, "2 Guns," and it's essentially one of two roles that the legendary actor takes on. Either he's a complicated, dramatic lead dripping with gravitas, or he's a cold-blooded killer who happens to be on the right side of the morality spectrum.

This action movie is undeniably in the latter camp. It reunites Denzel with Antoine Fuqua, who directed the former in "Training Day." That was ultimately an Oscar-winning performance for Washington (and the best one of his career). Arguably, there's no better director for "action-star" Denzel to work with, save for maybe the late, great Tony Scott.

" It's far closer to the aforementioned "2 Guns," with a lot less fun and a lot more death by corkscrew (not a euphemism). But the action set pieces themselves are well-executed, and if you're someone who loves a gnarly kill in an action movie, it's definitely worth checking out while you can stream it on Netflix .

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