Denzel Washington’s Big Monologue In The First Equalizer Movie Explained

Denzel Washington delivers an incredible monologue to The equalizer main villain, and it’s one where the subtext is quite clear. Denzel didn’t have much luck with action films before 2004 man on firewith this Tony Scott thriller casting him as a bodyguard on a relentless quest for revenge. Denzel Washington’s other notable action films include Unstoppable and The Book of Eli. Denzel even found an action franchise with The equalizer films.

This trilogy was based on the classic TV series of the same name, with Washington’s McCall being a retired DIA agent who doesn’t retire for “equalize“injustice wherever he finds it. It’s a role that suits its protagonist perfectly, with McCall being an honorable man skilled in eloquent speeches and destroying. The Equalizer 3 the ending suggests that McCall has ended his days as a vigilantebut in the original film, he seemed to find renewed purpose in life by taking down a Russian criminal network.

Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall tells a story about an orphan who killed his adoptive parents

One of the most famous scenes in The Equalizer shows McCall confronting the villain Teddy

McCall kicks a hornet’s nest when he starts messing up this gang’s business, to the point where a ruthless enforcer named Teddy (Marton Csokas) is called in to take care of him. Now the original Equalizer has a lot of great scenes, including McCall’s first fight scene and, of course, the bloody showdown in the home improvement store. One of Washington’s best moments shows McCall and Teddy sitting opposite each other as the former gives the executor one last chance to retreat before he brings the deal down”Brick by brick, dollar by dollar, body by body…“

Of course, Teddy is a ruthless killer for a Russian syndicate, so despite McCall’s body count, he’s yet unimpressed with his opponent. In response to Teddy’s question “When you look at me, what do you see?“, McCall begins a monologue about a story he once heard from a Russian police captain. This involved a famous scholar in Moscow who adopted a troubled orphan boy into his family. The equalizer McCall claims this boy was considered a lost cause and prone to violence.

However, no matter what this boy did or how much trouble he got into, the scholar showed him nothing but love and patience. Ultimately, this man and his family”broke“for the boy – only for tragedy to strike. The man and his wife were killed in a home invasion, and McCall reveals that the boy was sent back to his hellish orphanage. next. McCall stresses that the killer was never found, but he believes it was the boy who did it, as he was so afraid that one day this kind man would abandon him.

Is Teddy supposed to be the orphan in Denzel Washington’s equalizer monologue?

As Teddy states: “It’s a well-known story”

Teddy is always the poker player throughout this Equalizer monologue, although his body language suggests that McCall’s story is playing. He also claims that this double murder is a “well-known story“, and although the film never confirms this, the obvious reading is Teddy was the boy who killed his adoptive parents. The story offers a unique insight into Teddy’s upbringing and psychology, underlining that he has no emotional attachments or any real understanding of being loved.

Assuming that Teddy is indeed the boy from McCall’s monologue, he was raised in a violent and desperate system that made him feel unworthy of love. The fact that he felt so insecure while being raised by a foster family who intentionally destroyed it shows his rejection of emotions. That Equalizer moment highlights that – whether Teddy realizes it or not – McCall knows exactly who and what is Teddyincluding what motivates you.

In the spirit of justice, McCall is giving this Russian assassin a chance to back down – even though he knows Teddy won’t stand for it. McCall’s response at the end of this scene to Teddy’s original question is “What do you see when you look at me?“, which lets the enforcer know that no matter how tough he thinks he is, McCall will still win.

How Denzel Washington’s Equalizer Monologue Contributes to Robert McCall’s Character

McCall is a different kind of vigilante

I had The equalizer film produced during the 1990s, it may have been a funny action film in which McCall threw the first punch and kept conversation to a minimum. The role suits Denzel Washington very well because he is literally the thinking man’s action hero; McCall is about five steps ahead of the people he pursues, has thought of every contingency, and prefers to avoid violence altogether. In fact, McCall never fires a gun throughout the entire film, often resorting to improvised weapons.

With Teddy’s monologue, McCall highlights that he did his homework, studied the enemy and is prepared to take the fight to the end. There is a part The equalizer protagonist who likes to burn down this operation and hurt those who destroy innocent lives, but if he he can avoid bloodshed, he will. It’s no wonder that McCall’s monologues were also part of the sequences, as they are often as electrifying as the fight sequences themselves.

Source: YouTube, Rotten tomatoes, The Numbers