It’s kind of hard to believe that this movie—or its predecessor—actually got made. It’s not just that it’s incredibly airport paperback-esque in an age when comic book movies have made airport paperbacks seem like high literature. It’s because it’s obvious that these movies exist purely because of their star, Mr. Denzel Washington, in an age where movie star clout is an echo from the past. So in its own way “The Equalizer” is a miracle of anachronism. And Washington and Director Anton Fuqua try hard to class up the flimsy potboiler at its core. But in the end it can’t escape feeling incredibly out of date, uninspired and predictable. There’s maybe a decent reason why movie stars don’t get to make airport paperbacks anymore.