Let's be realistic.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

'Callan' ended with the superb special 'Wet Job' in 1981. Four years later, its star, the late Edward Woodward crossed over to the U.S for this fine drama series. 'The Equalizer' had Woodward as retired intelligence agent Robert McCall who in his spare time helps out those in trouble. For many years, speculation went about that Robert McCall may have been David Callan in disguise. It was of course untrue. Though they are both interesting characters and both share the same profession, the two are poles apart.Like I said, Robert McCall is an amateur detective who has his own column in the local newspaper. Those who find themselves in dangerous situations often call upon McCall for help. Woodward was superb as the hard as nails McCall and made more of the character than was on paper. 'The Equalizer' was at best an enjoyable show, if not up to the standard of 'Callan'. Stewart Copeland's brilliant theme tune caught the style of the show wonderfully.There were unsurprisingly a huge array of big names in the show such as John Goodman, Macaulay Culkin, Robert Mitchum, Telly Savalas, Ving Rhames, Tony Shaloub, Adam Ant, Meat Loaf and Ed O'Neill.Among the best moments from what I recall of the show were McCall trying to clear his name after he was accused of murdering a blind man, McCall protecting a female police officer from her sleazy and corrupt colleagues, McCall being held hostage at a wedding ceremony and McCall facing off a criminal drugs gang who try to intimidate the new town doctor into giving them free drugs.Four seasons were made after which CBS drew it to a close in 1989. Not an excellent show, at least not in my personal view, but far better than many American drama shows that have been on offer either before or since.

Edward Woodward starred as 'Callan' (1966-71), an English series where he played the top agent of a top secret British government spy organization that 'fixed' situations that couldn't be fixed otherwise. It was (and still is) a genuine TV classic, with fine scripts and characterizations -- as seen on the Sky channel UK TV when it's rerun periodically. Co-stars included Anthony Valentine and Patrick Mower as his younger, more ruthless colleagues. As soon as I saw 'The Equalizer' in the mid Eighties I saw it as a worthy successor to 'Callan' for Edward Woodward, now playing someone older and wiser, and a little softer at the centre.

Edward Woodward did a fantastic job in The Equalizer series back in the mid 80's, I probably watched every one of them, and now, on HBO, the Five Days series also features Mr. Woodward, playing the grand father of the missing lady.I noticed this October 16th 2007.I thought it was interesting, he is one of those actors who has the ability to deliver a performance without showing like an acting job, a true natural. Another great component for The Equalizer's great outcome, in my opinion, was the fact the he delivered justice in a way that unfortunately is not possible in real life, but at the end of each episode you would feel good about it.

The equalizer is probably my favorite mystery. I watch the reruns every day, and, since they do not have DVD's out as far as I know, I have started to tape them. This show has a great level of suspense for anyone who loves mysteries, and it's got an interesting plot in every episode.I'm only going on 14 and just started watching the show's reruns about 2 months ago (when my grandma discovered it was in syndication) but it's already one of my favorites. I was educated early on about violence and the issues that I see appear in the Equalizer, so I understand it completely. I know the show has a high level of violence and deals with many strong subjects, but that's nothing compared to some of the things I see today on TV. McCall does kill a lot of bad guys, but at least they don't make an extremely graphic scene. McCall even dislikes killing anyone, so that doesn't mean he enjoys shooting his gun off at every criminal out there. This show dealt with things that actually happen. There is violence out there, and there are very scary things going on as well. If only there were a few real Equalizers, we could make a difference.Robert McCall has true to life feelings in my opinion. Sure, you may not meet a man who keeps a bunch of weapons and used to work for the CIA, but he has normal feelings. He's calm and kind, but his temper can flare with proper stimulation, such as a very nasty bad guy or an argument with Control. He knows what to do and tries all he can to help his clients. Edward Woodward does a great job portraying Robert McCall as lifelike. He brings a uniqueness to the character that I haven't seen on any show before. The role fit him perfectly. Woodward's way of playing McCall can not be done by anyone else.The Equalizer is ready to dole out justice to criminals, and to equalize the odds of those who's odds are against them. I may not have been alive when the show ran it's course, but thanks to syndication, The Equalizer is my daily treat to enjoy alone, with my family, or with my friends. I truly think it is an awesome show.