The Writer's Life 5/23 - Equalizer

The Equalizer, starring Brit stage actor Edward Woodward, ran on CBS for four seasons, ‘85-’89. It involved an ex-agent doing penance by helping people in dire straits who respond to an ad he posts in the newspaper. It had it moments, but largely stuck to the usual fare, the situation resolved by violence. It made few attempts to get at the psyche, similar to Person of Interest these days. The shows aimed at giving what most viewers want, visceral satisfaction. So does the 2014 theatrical version of the former starring Denzel Washington. It is the standard army-of-one action fest fans enjoy, wherein the evil get their just desserts. If only it were so easy in real life. Al Qaeda and ISIS would be wiped out in weeks. This is by no means a bad film. It is simply routine, solid. I did not pause the DVD once the entire  two-hour-plus running time. Of course the events often border on ludicrous. These movies are fantasies, sheer entertainment. My only significant complaint is that it’s a bit more graphic than it needs to be. It was successful at the box office, though not a blockbuster, bringing in $101 million in the U.S. alone on a budget of $55 million. The flick has two special assets: an appearance by the chameleon-like Melissa Leo, one of the greatest supporting players of all-time, who, 54, has amassed 115 credits; and the cinematography of Mauro Fiore. Having never heard of this goombah, I looked up his bio. He was born in Calabria, Italy and won an Oscar for his work on Avatar (2010). My curiosity about famous Calabrese was aroused. There is a very long list at Wiki. Here are names I recognized during a quick scan: Charles Atlas, and actors Nick Mancuso, Anthony Carbone and, most notably, the great Raf Vallone. 171,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Equalizer, forging to a consensus of 7.2 of ten. On a scale of five, I say three. It was directed by Antoine Fuqua, who has 20 credits that include shorts, videos and a documentary.

As I approached the lobby door this morning at about 6:30, I looked through the window and spotted a hooded male kneeling at the door of the outer trash room. I figured he was trying to break in and was thinking how disappointed he would be. He took off as soon as he heard the door open. His intent wasn’t theft but mayhem. He’d set fire to a large, crushed cardboard box that was inside another. There was a plastic bag full of garbage beside them. I separated the two and stomped out the flames. It’s unlikely that any significant damage would have been done, but who knows? What motivated the guy? Drunkenness? Revenge for a slight? Mental disorder? Weird. I wouldn’t recognize him if he passed right in front of me. It was a fleeting glimpse. I don't even recall the color of his hoodie. It reminds me how often TV detectives complain about the unreliability of eye witnesses.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway, especially B.S. Bob, who stopped for one of his lengthy visits. Convinced that the untold story of Benghazi is the theft of Khadafy's gold by the Clintons, he believes Hillary orchestrated the death of JFK Jr., who, had he run for NY's senate seat, would have ended her career. I despise Billary, but I don't believe either accusation is true. People are funny, as Art Linkletter used to say.
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Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

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