Movie review
July 19, 2018 · 121 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie has McCall pushing a Ta-Nehisi Coates race book on the Black kid he mentors in the street-life subplot. The story keeps pushing justice for the exploited the whole way through with scenes helping a Black teen avoid gangs, a rape victim, a kidnapped girl, and a Holocaust survivor. It stays mostly vigilante revenge action but slips in those race literature nods.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Equalizer 2.
Woke representation / casting
Denzel Washington plays race-swapped lead from original TV series.
Woke political dialogue
McCall recommends Ta-Nehisi Coates race book to Black teen mentee.
Identity-driven story themes
Black youth mentoring subplot with race literature references.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Standard vigilante justice with no modern activist attacks on institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Minor critic notes on Coates book; no major woke backlash.
Creator track record context
Fuqua avoids diversity focus in statements; no relevant activist pattern.
