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Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap2026 is starting with a bang for Hulu subscribers. Denzel Washington’s vigilante action thriller The Equalizer will be available to stream on the platform starting January 1. The film is based on the 1980s TV show of the same name, and has grown into one of the most celebrated titles in Washington’s filmography. It is a John Wick-esque story where the movie opens on a quiet everyman who turns out to be a lethal assassin with a dark past and a love for all-black clothing. The difference is in the approach. The Equalizer cares far less about flashy mythmaking and fantastical assassins and far more about grounded storytelling.
The film stars Washington as Robert McCall, a retired black ops commando living a carefully controlled life in Boston. That routine shatters when he meets a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) trapped in prostitution and decides he cannot look away. Washington is phenomenal and fully convincing as both sides of McCall. He sells the image of a low-key working man who spends his nights reading classic literature just as well as the sudden bursts of violence, and his immense gravitas elevates this beyond a run-of-the-mill violent action thriller. He never wants to hurt anyone and constantly offers his enemies the chance to walk away. And when they refuse, the violence that follows feels twice as satisfying.
It’s got tons of stylized action scenes, some moments of light humor, and a surprising amount of heart that is generally missing from movies in this genre. The film was a huge success when it first came out and went on to gross over $192 million worldwide against a $55 million budget. It also performed well with critics and audiences, and currently holds a fresh 61% critic score and an even stronger 77% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Equalizer 2 followed four years later in 2018, and The Equalizer 3 came in 2023, and both films continued the series’ winning streak.
Denzel Washington Has Confirmed That Two More ‘Equalizer’ Sequels Are in the Works
Equalizer 3 was marketed as the final chapter in the franchise, and it ended with McCall finally retiring to a quiet Italian village. Because of that, there was little hope of a fourth movie ever happening. That changed last year when Washington confirmed that not one, but two more Equalizer sequels are in development. The fourth film now faces the same challenge as John Wick 5, which is undoing what felt like a natural ending for its lead character. Still, there may be a clear way forward. Screenwriter Richard Wenk has said he has a poster idea that reads “EQ4: Unfinished Business,” which suggests that characters from McCall’s past could return and force him out of retirement.
The Equalizer is currently available to stream on Paramount+. It will be available to stream on Hulu starting January 1.
The Equalizer
Like Follow Followed R Thriller Action Crime Release Date September 24, 2014 Runtime 132 Minutes Director Antoine Fuqua Writers Richard Wenk, Richard Lindheim, Michael SloanCast
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Denzel Washington
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Marton Csokas
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The Equalizer
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Denzel Washington
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