The Equalizer (2014)
What do you see when you look at me?
McCall believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets Teri, a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 24 September 2014 |
| Genre | Thriller, Action, Crime |
| Director | Antoine Fuqua |
| Starring | Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas and Chloë Grace Moretz |
| Runtime | 132 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 5.7/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 61% · Metacritic 57/100 · TMDB users 7.3/10 |
| Budget | $55 million |
Where to watch The Equalizer
The Equalizer is streaming on Netflix ($17.99 a month) in the US. It is also on Fubo. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Netflix is $17.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 19 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch The Equalizer in 66 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Prime Video |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Prime Video, Max |
| Argentina | Prime Video $5199 ARS, Max $9590 ARS |
| Australia | Netflix $20.99 AUD, Prime Video $9.99 AUD, ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Disney+ €10.99, Skygo |
| Bahamas | Prime Video, Max |
| Barbados | Prime Video, Max |
| Belgium | Disney+ €10.99, Max €10.99 |
| Belize | Prime Video, Max |
| Bermuda | Prime Video |
| Bolivia | Prime Video, Max |
| Brazil | Prime Video R$19.90, Max R$34.90 |
| Bulgaria | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Canada | Disney+ $11.99 CAD |
| Chile | Prime Video $6490 CLP, Max $9590 CLP |
| Colombia | Prime Video $24900 COP, Max $24900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Prime Video, Max |
| Croatia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Czechia | Disney+ 229 Kč |
| Denmark | Disney+ 79 kr DKK, Viaplay 289 kr DKK, Tv2dk |
| Dominican Republic | Prime Video, Max |
| Ecuador | Prime Video $5.99, Max $8.29 |
| El Salvador | Prime Video, Max |
| Fiji | Netflix |
| Finland | Disney+ €10.99, Viaplay €13.99 |
| France | Prime Video €6.99, Disney+ €9.99 |
| French Guiana | Prime Video |
| French Polynesia | Prime Video |
| Germany | Disney+ €9.99, Skygo |
| Greece | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Guatemala | Prime Video, Max |
| Guyana | Prime Video, Max |
| Honduras | Prime Video, Max |
| Hungary | Disney+ 2990 Ft |
| Iceland | Netflix 1900 kr ISK, Viaplay |
| India | Prime Video ₹299 |
| Ireland | Disney+ €9.99, Skygo |
| Italy | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99, Skygo, Now TV |
| Jamaica | Prime Video, Max |
| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, Hulu, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Liechtenstein | Disney+ |
| Luxembourg | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Mexico | Prime Video $99 MXN, Max $149 MXN |
| Monaco | Prime Video |
| Netherlands | Prime Video €4.99, Disney+ €10.99 |
| New Zealand | Netflix $25.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Prime Video, Max |
| Norway | Disney+ 89 kr NOK, Viaplay 159 kr NOK |
| Panama | Prime Video $5.99, Max $8.29 |
| Paraguay | Prime Video, Max |
| Peru | Prime Video S/25.90, Max S/35.90 |
| Portugal | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Romania | Disney+ 29.99 lei |
| San Marino | Disney+ |
| Slovakia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| South Korea | Wavve ₩10900, Watcha |
| Spain | Disney+ €9.99 |
| St. Lucia | Prime Video, Max |
| Sweden | Disney+ 89 kr SEK, Viaplay 169 kr SEK, TV4 Play free |
| Switzerland | Disney+ CHF14.90 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Prime Video, Max |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Prime Video, Max |
| Türkiye | Disney+ ₺249.90 |
| United Kingdom | Disney+ £9.99 GBP, Skygo |
| Uruguay | Prime Video $U249, Max $U399 |
| Venezuela | Prime Video, Max |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Denzel Washington plays a man who thinks he has left the past behind, but a young girl in trouble pulls him back in. It is a 132-minute thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua. The hook is simple: he has hidden skills, and he uses them on people who hurt the helpless. The tone is dry and precise. Every action beat lands with weight. It does not explain why he does it, only that he does. The tagline asks what you see when you look at him.
What the critics said
Critics received The Equalizer with a mix of approval and indifference. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 61% approval rating based on 205 reviews as of October 2024, alongside an average score of 5.7/10 from October 2021. Metacritic assigns a Metascore of 57 out of 100 as of August 2025, signaling mixed or average reviews. The critical consensus notes the film is more stylishly violent than meaningful, yet it delivers.
Susan Wloszczyna of RogerEbert.com called it "fairly sturdy as far as pure entertainment goes." Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail welcomed the prospect of sequels "just to watch Denzel finding new ways of getting even." Not everyone was pleased. Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent rated it three stars out of five but claimed the plot "makes no sense whatsoever.
How it did with audiences
The Equalizer cost $55 million and took in $192 million, a spread that suggests the studio did its homework and the audience showed up. On TMDB, users give it a 7.3 out of 10, a score that signals respect rather than rapture. It opened to $34.1 million, which was enough to hold the number one spot. The math works out to a solid profit, which is about all you need from a film about a man fixing things with a sledgehammer.
What came next for the cast
Denzel Washington followed The Book of Eli with The Magnificent Seven, then The Equalizer 2, and eventually Gladiator II. David Harbour moved from Quantum of Solace to Stranger Things. Marton Csokas, known for Lord of the Rings, later appeared in The Last Duel. Chloë Grace Moretz stepped away from Kick-Ass for The 5th Wave. These trajectories diverged wildly. The 2014 film did not cause any of this. It merely sat in the middle.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Equalizer.
Sources
- The Equalizer on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q13562643 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Equalizer (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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