Denzel Washington Wipes the Floor With Bad Guys, Chloë Grace Moretz Rocks a Black Wig in The Equalizer Trailer

Based on the 1980s-era CBS series, Denzel plays a retired special-ops commando who ends up getting on the Russian mob's bad side when he tries to save a young woman from a life of vice

By Natalie Finn May 26, 2014 4:53 PMTags
The EqualizerSony

Denzel Washington's still got it—and now he's faster than ever.

The 59-year-old Oscar winner is still kicking ass and taking names, this time to save a young woman from the clutches of some creepy, terrible people in the first trailer for The Equalizer, based on the 1980s-era CBS series of the same name and due in theaters Sept. 26.

But while there's a small-screen template laid out for Denzel's role of Robert McCall, a compelled-out-of-retirement special-ops commando who likes to time himself when he's taking out the enemy, we're seeing healthy doses of Taxi Driver and The Professional as well.

And not just because Chloë Grace Moretz's damsel-in-danger Teri is rocking a blunt-cut wig with bangs like Natalie Portman in her 1994 breakthrough role.

Sony

In this sneak peek, the scene is set when McCall meets Teri in a coffee shop, explaining when asked that he's reading a book "about a guy who's a knight in shining armor, except he lives in a world where knights don't exist anymore."

Hmm, we're assuming that's also what's printed on his business card.

But in trying to free Teri from a life of vice, which he thinks he's managing to do in 19 seconds (remember, this guy carries a stop watch), it turns out that he just "took out the East coast hub of the Russian mafia."

Yeah, that stopwatch is going to be getting a lot of use.

Melissa Leo plays McCall's old friend and colleague from his days in the field and The Equalizer also reunites Denzel with Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, who has proven that he knows how to multiply his leading man's capacity for damaged badassery by Oscar-winning proportions.