The anticipated collaboration between Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua, and actor Denzel Washington, who received an Oscar Nomination for his role as a crooked cop, has opened to some impressive box office numbers and wavering reviews. Yet, The Equalizer is a far cry from the earlier success the tag-team attained over a decade ago.

While Training Day exemplified clever writing, gritty performances and a perfect up-tempo pacing, The Equalizer struggles in each of these important areas. Denzel is in usual form, but nothing spectacular. And as a result, the rest of the feature's flimsy components fail to sustain a winning effort. Outstretched to a fault and including the unforgivable trait of having events transpire conveniently for the plot's sake, The Equalizer unravels in a disappointing manner.

Perhaps elevated expectations enhance my dissatisfaction, but the fact remains that The Equalizer misuses its elements of action and suffers from severe pacing issues. The film moderately entertains as it fails to break any new ground in the genre. If a winning action title is what you're looking for, you're better off looking elsewhere.