In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays Robert McCall. McCall is a retired Marine and former Defense Intelligence Agency officer who has built a quiet life in Boston after leaving his violent past behind.
The story changes when McCall tries to protect Alina, a teenager controlled by a Russian trafficking network. Her abuse draws him back into action, and he uses military training, surveillance skills, improvisation and precise planning to confront the criminals.
The 2014 film is a loose big-screen adaptation of the 1985 television series, whose lead character was also named Robert McCall. Washington’s version is substantially reimagined: the original series starred Edward Woodward and presented McCall as an English former intelligence operative, while the film makes him an American veteran.
Viewers sometimes confuse McCall with other movie vigilantes such as Jack Reacher, Bryan Mills or John Wick. Those are separate characters from different film series, even though all operate in the same broad action-thriller tradition.