This ’90s Denzel Washington thriller deserves to replace Equalizer as his signature franchise

Denzel Washington may be the most consistently beloved movie star of the past 30 years. (Is there a great actor and proven box office draw who’s less divisive?) But even someone this beloved is still subject to a little bit of internet complaining. When Washington starred in the TV adaptation The Equalizer in 2014, it was reported that the show-turned-film was being looked at as a potential franchise. Sure enough, a second and third movie followed in 2018 and 2023, respectively. While all three did well at the box office, it was difficult for some movie nerds (myself included) to keep from mentioning how this serviceable old-guy-killing-fools series was less deserving of franchise status than a single noir that flopped back in 1995, just a few months after Washington had a smash with Crimson Tide. No, not Virtuosity. Washington’s signature ongoing film series should have started with Devil in a Blue Dress.